Circle the Wagons
by Paul Ray the Rocket Scientist
Summary: When robbing a casino, it's one thing to do it in such a way that you can escape and spend the money, but what if you found a way to do it so that no one, even the casino owners, know that a robbery took place?
1. Chapter 1

**Local upscale (?) redneck roadhouse just outside Moscow, (Tennessee)—about twenty east of Memphis. . .**

The lean, causally dressed man approached the bartender, presumably to ask for directions. It was apparent, not only to the bartender but to all within earshot, that the man making the inquiry "watn't from around these parts". He was dressed, or more correctly, too overdressed to be a native, unless he was the local bootlegger/pimp. All the parts—shirts, blue jeans, cowboy boots and ball cap were present but were just a bit over the top. One of the patrons/locals would later remark that the shirt the stranger was wearing probably cost more than every stitch of clothes he owned; he knew because his wife had worked for a while in an upscale men's shop in Nashville that featured imported clothes. The new looking jukebox, that, according to the display, featured digital sound, was playing _The Orange Blossom Special_.

Picking up on the rhythm of the music, the man asked, "Have yawl seen an elderly gentleman traveling in a large motor home?" His Southern accent was embarrassing.

"Yeah," the barkeep replied. "He's parked next to the F150 with the cabover, out back. You here to pick it up?"

"That's a 10-4! What do I owe you?"

"Jackie, get the bill for the gentleman."

It's next to the cash register, on the right side," the waitress, dressed in a pullover and jeans said. "Do you dance, handsome stranger?"

"If it's allowed and the boyfriends don't object, yes."

"It's allowed," she said, extending a hand, "and don't worry about boyfriends. None of them are within fifty miles of here." She looked to one of the locals, older than the other three or four sitting next to the jukebox and added, "Pierre, put some more quarters in. We need some music." The older man nodded and complied, just at the song ended.

Politely and properly, the stranger accepted the waitress's hand and escorted her to the open area in front of the jukebox. "Pierre?," he mused. "Is he French?"

"About as French as the stale cornbread you'll get with the noon special but don't be surprised at what old "Pierre" will select."

She was right about Pierre. The next sound they heard was from some arrangement that had to have been performed by a symphonic orchestra. The man called Pierre held up his coffee cup, smiled sheepishly and grinned. The stranger nodded politely and proceeded to dance to the music, performing several jumps and turns, which the waitress attempted to match. After the number, he nodded, returned the grin and started away from the dance area. The waitress pulled him back toward the dance area as another song started—_The boogie-woogie Bugle Boy_, featuring the Andrew sisters. Pierre grinned again but was surprised to learn that the stranger was no stranger, even to the dance styles of the 40's.

The performance received a brief round of applause, which ended as the bartender said, "I have your bill ready, mister. .

.(?). It includes the breakfast that Jackie is taking to Mr. Wolfe."

"Jones," he offered. "Thank you. I'll give the little lady a hand with the trays." He paid the bartender with cash and gave a bill to Jackie, large enough in denomination to precipitate a smile, a large smile.

As the man and the waitress exited the door, the bartender said, "Pierre, where do you think that fellow is from?"

"Well, he has to have the poorest excuse for a Southern accent as I have ever heard and that includes most of the phonies you see on television and from Hollywood. I'm no linguist by any means but he sounds like a professor I had once who was from somewhere around the Mediterranean area, most likely France or Spain, not that I can speak either language."

After the waitress left the motor home, the older man, "Mr. Wolfe" said, "Join me and my driver for breakfast. I have ordered plenty. I am about to become addicted to Southern cuisine, especially the breakfast they serve here."

"First, let me show you what I have." He nodded to his left, toward the pickup truck parked behind the long motor home. "I have retrieved every dollar that I spent previously and as stipulated, I did not come within one hundred fifty kilometers of where the money was kept."

"Money that you did not need. . ."

"No, but by pulling off the theft as I outlined, am I not the greatest? Come! Please."

"Very well." He picked up a biscuit and added some marmalade before exiting.

"And I did not employ the criminal element. . ."

"We are both criminals, my young friend. We're thieves. Remember?"

"I only made it appear to be financed by organized crime. I used bankers and lawyers."

"Yes, of course," said the older man, obviously revered by the student who was seeking approval.

The young man handed a pen knife to his mentor and said, "Over two hundred million and as I said, I never entered the establishment."

Slowly, the older man used the razor sharp knife like a scalpel to open the package. He removed a handful of the contents and said, "My young apprentice. I fear you have succeeded in stealing a truck load of computer paper."

**About four months ago—, 150 miles away, unknown, unrelated and totally unaware of any of the above mentioned people and activities, virtually and literally worlds and _oceans_ away. . .**


	2. Chapter 2

**CIRCLE THE WAGONS ROBERTS 9 **

**CHAPTER ONE**

"How did we do this trip, Cool hand?" Buck asked as he pulled into the BP station. "I hope you guys won something. I lost almost eighty bucks."

"I did about as well as you did," Willy said. "I even tried the crap tables. Nothing. I'll tally as soon as I make a pit stop. Get me a cup of coffee."

"Get me a Coke," Swede said. "I'll pump the gas and be in, in a minute."

Buck got the Coke for Swede and a large cup of chocolate ice cream for himself. Cool Hand got two cups of coffee and was waiting at a table when his three friends arrived inside.

"Houston, we have a problem!" Swede said.

"Which is?" Buck asked.

"We picked up a nail somewhere. The left rear is low. Do you have the plugs in the tool box?"

"Yeah. They're in the bottom, along with the kit. I'll give you a hand."

"I think I can plug it without even taking the tire off. Keep your seats but I do need the keys to move the van. It'll take only a minute, and I will take the Coke."

Twenty minutes later, Swede returned and joined the crew. He held up the object that had punctured the tire, a screw, and said, "Perhaps this will explain everything. How did we do?"

"Counting the cost of gas, eats and miscellaneous, we are down $378", Willy said. "You said that you broke even, right? Not bad."

"No, not bad," Swede said, "but not good, either"

"We're holding our own," Cool Hand said. "So far, we haven't spent a dime of our own money on these trips and that includes the trips with the girls. I don't know of any four people who can make that claim."

"We haven't gained anything in over three months either," Swede said, after taking a swallow of the 20 ounce Coke, emptying the clear plastic bottle. "In fact, we are slipping a bit. It sure would be nice to hit one of the really big jackpots."

"We've hit a couple of _'big'_ ones the first two trips over," Willy said. "That is what we have been playing on. All of us have been lucky. The pot is in good shape."

"I tried the progressive machines this time," Buck said, "but it didn't do any good. The payout there, if you hit the jackpot, is several million dollars. But you're right. The only reason we are ahead is because of our initial winnings, which is due to luck."

"There has to be a way to get into the big money," Swede said.

"There is," Buck said. "Be born with it, marry it, steal it or kill for it. And don't forget; you have to get away with it."

"No. No, I mean the really big jackpots, the casinos' money."

"Yeah," Willy said. "We know what you mean but we are small potatoes, little fish. If we continue to do as well as we have, which is unlikely, we will never even be a blip on the screen for the Star or the Moon. We comprise that large group of small players who, in actuality, contribute the bulk of their operating capital. When we _do_ win, they all but rejoice in telling the other players about our good fortune."

"I deal with large sums of money," Cool Hand said. "Of course, I rarely see any of it except when audits are conducted and our cash on hand is verified. And practically none of it is mine. In fact, so much of it is not mine that it's pathetic."

"Do you ever fantasize about emptying the vault into a large truck and driving away with it?" Swede asked, smiling. "Maybe just in your wildest dreams?"

"Banking institutions do not allow low level employees to have wild dreams," Cool Hand said, with a muted sigh. "We have to take physiological profile tests periodically. Actually, it consists of interviews before a group of three or four psychologists. It's become routine. I know most of the doctors who sit on the board, at least the ones who work for the bank. But I don't think the interviews have anything to do with any real concern the bank has about anyone on their staff embezzling."

"Then why pay a staff of doctors to conduct the tests, or interviews?" Swede asked.

"My guess is that they think that they can get enough information about their people to be able to predict behavior. It's an ego trip for them, the bank directors and the doctors."

"You're not really a company man, are you? Willy said, smiling as he pushed his chair back from the table, the legs making an irritatingly loud, rattling noise on the hard, tile floor. "I'll get the tab. Are we ready to roll?" Two older couples, drinking coffee at a nearby table, glared at Willy and cringed at the noise. Willy sheepishly grinned an apology.

"What sort of questions do they ask?" Buck asked. "Are they pointed?"

"On my first _'interview'_ with them, the first question was: _'How do you plan to hide the money after you take it from the vault?'" _

"What did you say?" Swede asked.

"Fortunately, I didn't have to answer. The other three doctors burst into laughter. A little doctor humor, I suppose. I _am_ glad that I wasn't hooked up to a polygraph at the time."

"Were all three of them doctors?" Buck asked. "And if you were going to take the bank's money, would you take it from the vault or embezzle it?"

"If I _was_ stupid enough to try something of the sort, I _would_ take it from the vault. I would just as soon video tape the act, prepare a confession and sign it as to attempt to embezzle it. Get another round of Cokes to go, Willy."

As they exited the cafe, one of the ladies who had expressed irritation at Willy's having rattled his chair on the floor gave him a last disapproving glare. The two men with them pretended not to notice.

When Buck pulled back onto County Road 16, heading east, he said, "Tell me, Cool, Hand, when they asked you the question about taking the money from vault, you know, the doctor humor thing, did you panic? Just a little?

"Right down to my socks! For an instant, I just knew that they could read my mind. Although neither I, nor anybody I know at the bank, would ever even consciously _think_ about such a thing, I did panic. I suppose that taking the money is in everybody's mind. Way, way, way in the back of the mind, but there, nevertheless. There I was, a young, hoping to be rising executive, fresh out of college, and they nailed me on the first day. It's intimidating but that is probably the object of the whole procedure."

"Did you ever think that their little ploy was not humor, but part of a carefully worded interview, specifically designed to intimidate?"

"I'm sure of it. It made me realize from the onset that they knew more about me than I would ever know about them, or so they thought. It was a broad-brush approach but they were dealing with a layman, an amateur and they knew it. They are pretty smart."

"Were they all doctors?"

"I called them doctors and they never corrected me. Whether they have a medical degree or not I don't know, but I do think they have PhD's in one field or another."

"Have you ever thought about handing it back to them?" Willy asked. "They did have you outnumbered. What was it, four to one?"

"Many times," Cool Hand said. "Many times. But How? And for what reason? Besides, the only time I ever see any of them is when I happen to be in a meeting with one of them or just happen to pass them in or around the office. Outside the office, the only thing we have in common is that we gamble and one of them is some sort of adviser to a lottery association, in Tennessee, I think."

"That's right, isn't it?" Willy said. "Tennessee just voted in a lottery, didn't they? That will cut into Florida's and Georgia's take from Alabama."

"Is this guy into everything?" Willy asked. "Banking, shrink, advisor to gamblers?" He paused for a moment and added, "Intimidator of yuppies?" They all laughed.

"That he is. A real hot rock!"

Swede said, "You guys all saw _**'**__Ocean's Eleven'_, didn't you?"

After receiving a positive nod from Willy and Buck, George said, "Yes, we have. All of us have seen it. In fact, I have it on tape, both versions."

"I have the latest version on DVD," Willy said. "They used more gadgets in the last one, really sophisticated stuff. And better special affects, too. Both versions were good movies."

"That's what we need to do," Swede said. "Knock off the casino!"

The other three didn't even bother to say, "Yeah, right," but sat in silence for several seconds before Buck started his low, breathy, guttural laugh. After a few seconds, he said, "Willy, you and Cool Hand should keep an eye on Mr. Nordness. There is a possibility he is loony enough to actually consider it."

"They did it in the movie."

"They make that stuff up, Swede," Cool Hand said. "Anybody can plan the perfect crime. It's the pulling it off that is impossible. I'm called Cool Hand and I like to think that I _am_ a little cool and calm but a nerdy banker/shrink rattled me with an offhanded remark. How do you think I, or any of us, would perform under pressure, like the super cool dudes in the movie?"

"Who said anything about a crime?" Swede said. "All we have to do is select the right numbers of the lottery-type slot machines and they would open the vault and give us the money."

"The odds against that is about a quadrillion to one," Buck said. "Make that four or five quadrillion to one."

"What is a quadrillion?" Willy asked. "**Is** there even such a number?"

"I don't really know," Buck said. "Just think of it as a very large number, one with many, many, many zeroes tacked onto the end."

"Just what are the odds of selecting the correct numbers?" Willy asked. "The game, as the casino promoters call it, is similar to the keno game, or a lottery, isn't it?"

"Get my TI out of the pouch in front of you and punch in a few numbers, Swede," Buck said, "and we'll see what the odds are."

"Will that antique hold numbers large enough?"

"Don't diss my TI!"

"OK. What do I punch in?"

Cool Hand said, "There are actually six "games" that you can play for a quarter. For a quarter each, that is. Your percentage of the jackpot for each game increases with each coin. You get 25% for one quarter, 50% for two quarters and of

course 100% for three. You can choose to guess 5 numbers out of 50, 6 numbers out of 60, 7 numbers out of 70, on up to 10 numbers out of 100. Of course no one has ever won anything on it except for the consolation prizes, that I know about. For the 5 out of 50, punch in 50.005, 2nd, and nCr. The nCr function is on the same button with the number 9."

"Okay," Swede said and paused for a moment, "I can't read the display. Wait. It says 2 million, one hundred eighteen thousand, seven hundred sixty. That's not too bad for a lottery."

"Now try 6 out of 60."

"Hmmmm," Swede began and paused for a moment. "Fifty million, sixty-three thousand, eight hundred sixty."

"Those are the odds for each time you guess," Buck said. "There are that many combinations possible. Now try the 10 out of 100."

After a few seconds, Swede said, "Good gracious! Perhaps this will explain everything." One of Swede's _'cultural'_ interests included being an avid fan of the old TV program the _'Lone Ranger'_. He also claimed to have read every book he could find on the character. In his pocket, on his key chain was a sliver bullet, the identifying item of the Lone Ranger, who when he wished to identify himself would present the memento of his betrayal and repeat the words, _'Perhaps this will explain everything.'_ Swede did not display the key-chain bullet but would instead present the item that he assumed would explain the situation at hand.

He had been on the receiving end of a practical joke involving a widely used medication for sexual dysfunction. On a blind double date, he became the target of his date's former boyfriend whom she had just ditched. The jilted/rejected suitor followed the foursome to the club where they had intended to have dinner and dance. The suitor, a friend of one of the waiters at the club, persuaded the waiter to slip a pill into Swede's tea.

Compromised, Swede's evening went downhill. When he could no longer gracefully decline suggestions to dance, and becoming more and more annoyed, he finally stood up, revealing the effects of the pill and said, "Perhaps this will explain everything!" Cool Hand was half of the other couple. If the foursome had not laughed the rest of the evening, the rejected boyfriend, still unidentified, probably would have found it impossible to get life insurance. Neither Swede nor Cool Hand ever saw the two girls again. All eight of the present social group know about the incident although the females doubt the veracity of the tale. The remark has become Swede's identifier.

"What do you mean?" Cool Hand asked.

"This explains why no one has ever won. There are seventeen trillion, three hundred ten billion, three hundred nine million possible combinations. That is close to the quadrillion you mentioned."

"It's close," Buck said. "It progresses from the lower number of combinations up to that. Like I said—'Don't diss my TI'. It's old but it still works."

"Do people still play that game?" Willy asked. "I mean enough for the casinos to keep making money?"

"Apparently," Buck said, "they already have made enough to keep it going. The jackpots now include enough money to pay the taxes. Sounds good, but impossible to win. Well, maybe not impossible but they will never have to pay off. If you played two combinations you _would_ have twice as many chances to win. Two out of. . .how many trillion? Of course, people still play it. I do, just for that one chance in. . .whatever. I play it once in a while."

"Do they still have the money on deposit at the Golden Moon? "Cool Hand asked. "Or at the Silver Star? It should be a lot of money, especially for the top jackpot. I can find out. Not that it matters to us. They have to keep the money somewhere. What if it was won at another casino?"

"We are, in a sense, stockholders, aren't we?" Willy asked.

"Except for our initial run of luck," Swede said, "we do make periodic contributions to the native Americans. But we can't complain. Yet!"

"Why do you ask 'what if it was won at another casino?', Cool Hand?" Willy asked.

"If the money is at the Moon or the Star, how would they give the money to the winner if somebody did win it, somewhere else? I mean, would there be the little giveaway ceremony as shown in the commercial?"

"That could be part of the next commercial we heard about," Cool Hand said. "Do you think that we can get a part in it? If nothing else, we may get a few perks from the Red Skins."

"Or you may get to 'star with Pocahontas' again, "Swede said. "Betty would love that. She probably would nominate you for an award. Or something."

"Speaking of Betty," Buck said, "She told Gail that you are taking her to visit her parents in Kentucky, or that is what Gail told me. Actually, she told Susan and Susan told Gail who in turn told me. Isn't that where they make the slot machines?"

"No," Swede said, "but an old buddy of mine who used to work for that company lives near to where Susan's parents do—The International Game Technologies Co. They make over 100, 000 slot machines per year. But yes, we are going to visit her parents."

"Is something about to happen that will require us to rent a tux?" Willy asked.

"Not for a while," Swede said, sheepishly. "At least I don't know about it. Maybe I should just check with your gossip connections. I just thought that Susan should see her parents. She hasn't seen them for several months. Gail's parents live close by, don't they?"

"Yes," Buck said. "We don't have to travel or use vacation time to see them. although, actually we rarely do see them. They stay on the road and on boats and on planes. They go everywhere. What about you, Willy? Are you going anywhere in particular while we take a break from our attempts at breaking the bank at Philadelphia?"

"Yeah, What about you, Willy?" Swede asked. "What are you going to do while we give the Red Skins a "break"?"

"There are a few little projects around the house that need some attention. I don't have the time to take off from work, anyway. My _'_vacation' is scheduled for later in the summer. Jeannine and I may visit one of the casinos in Tunica over the weekend. But if we do, it will be a "_Jeannine_" type visit, only to enjoy the resort aspects."

"Good luck on that," Cool Hand said. "I have to go to Orlando for a seminar. Get this, now: The seminar is on bank security and part of it, I have just learned, is related to the security in and around casinos."

"You should feel right at home," Buck said, "with the experience you gained in Philadelphia. You know, on the commercial."

"They do rag me about the harmless gambling we do, especially the company shrinks. I hardly know those guys and they make it a point to mention things that are really none of their business."

"You would like to nail that bunch, wouldn't you, Cool Hand?" Willy said.

"Well, yeah. Nothing serious, though. They're not really a bad sort; they just seem to act as though they have a right to pry and comment. I _would_ like to get a few gigs on them."

"Will they be at the seminar?" Buck asked.

"The company's finest four, namely the ones I mentioned, are conducting the affair. Well, at least we can visit Disney World. The week won't be a total bust."

"Do you think that the "Mickey Mouse Four" chose Orlando because of the park?"

"I would never refer to the management of my company as '_Mickey Mouse_'", Cool Hand said. "I associate Mickey with Disney World, which I have visited a few times and I found the place to an efficient, well-run, first-class organization. If I call or refer to someone or something as being 'Mickey Mouse', I consider it a compliment. An organization that puts as much authority and influence into the hands of those eggheads will never get the nod, at least not from me."

"Tell me, Cool Hand," Willy said, almost chuckling, "do you have a list of people who can kiss your behind?"

"If I ever make one, the first four places will already be taken."

"Well," Buck said, "maybe you will get lucky at your management seminar. One of them may step into something."

"Or," Swede said, "you could place something onto their shoes."

"I have to assist them on two of the classes," Cool Hand said, "the ones on personnel evaluations."

"What about the physical aspects of the security, you know, the vaults themselves?" Willy asked.

"They hire experts to handle that. They spare no expense when it comes to projects they come up with."

"Well," Buck said, "get as much information as you can on your friendly four. You never know, they may have a skeleton or two in their closets that could prove embarrassing, not that you would ever use it in any way to promote or otherwise enhance your personal interests."

"When do you leave?" Willy asked.

"In the morning. By the way, I'll have the files you asked me to get ready in a couple of days. You do remember—the ones about the medical definitions."

"Oh, yeah," Buck said. "I appreciate it. I'll be in Pigeon Forge." He paused for a second or two and added, "Shopping."

"I'll send you some pictures of Mickey Mouse, " Cool Hand said, "or whatever else that may be of interest. Be sure to stay on line, all of you. By the way, it's about time the ladies got to share in the rich spoils of our adventures. I have written the usual checks, for $500.00. Okay? It should help with the shopping."

"It'll help with the trip to Tunica, too" Willy said.

Buck cut his glance slightly to his right, not really getting a look at his miscreant crew. Musing, he thought that miscreant was perhaps too harsh a word to describe them. After all, _he_ was one of them. Mischievous was better, at least kinder and perhaps more politically correct, not that any of the four gave a rip about the idea of being politically correct. In any case, something was brewing. Something was about to be brought from a back burner to the front. One for all and all for one—that's what the ladies in their lives said about the four. Yeah, right. Why not? But what was it? Even if only one of them had a scheme, they all had it or were about to. Schemes abounded in the group.


	3. Chapter 3

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

"You've got mail," Gail said to Buck as they entered their room.

"I think that it would more proper or correct to say, 'You have mail,' don't you.?

They had had a late supper after taking in a show at the north end of the strip, a name Buck usually used when referring to the main drive through the shopping/recreational town of Pigeon Forge, the growth of which was nurtured by the efforts of Dolly Parton, whose name and likeness was evident in several prominent displays along the highways.

"Who is it from?"

"Cool Hand. Who else?" Gail replied, looking at the small video camera aimed toward the front of the laptop. "Is this thing on? Is my picture being sent out to, wherever? And Whomever?"

"No," Buck said. "It's receiving only. What did we receive?"

"If its like the usual prattle you guys exchange, it is probably of an importance equal to anything that Homeland Security ever handles," she answered, smiling but then added, "oh, my goodness!"

"What?"

"This video isn't of Cool Hand. He would never send anything like this, or would he? Who is that? You havent logged onto some porn site, have you?"

"No, of course not. In fact, I left it on only so that Cool Hand could send me some files. Wow! That is quite a seminar they are having in Disney World. Maybe those bankers are not as stuffy as I thought. He watched for another few seconds and said, Does size really matter?"

"It does seem to make a difference," Gail said and added, "good gracious. We need to talk to Mr. Custer about communications protocols."

Less than ten seconds passed when the phone rang. It was Cool Hand.

"Did you get the download, my main man?" Cool Hand asked.

"Thats not all we got, Buddy," Buck replied, using another of Georges nicknames, the one he usually reserved for when an alarm needed to be sounded.

"What do you mean?" came the reply, expressing concern. "I got some really good information about the four eggheads. What else came through?"

Paraphrasing one of Cool Hands frequently used lines, Buck said, "Perhaps a minute or two to review your transmission will explain everything."

"There shouldnt have been anything except the files," Cool Hand said. "But give me a minute! The Camera was on, just as it is now. Its motion activated. Something would have to have turned it on." After a brief wait, he said, "This does explain it. Uh oh. . . did Gail see the download?"

"Afraid so! She hasn't stopped laughing yet."

"Laughing? I thought the performance was applaudable."

"She is laughing at us, as usual. By the way, is he married?"

"No, but the lady is, to a vice president, a particularly nasty vice president. I don't know her, but her name is Maggie. I do know her husband. She is known in some circles as Margaret Hightower, Mrs. Herschell T. Hightower. T. is for Tidwell. The Tidwells. Well, it looks as though Swede was correct. I did get something to nail one of them with."

"No! No, tell him exactly what happened, except of course for the personnel files, and assure him that you have deleted the X-rated video. You are going to be his buddy. What was he doing in your room? I assume that this was your room. Where were you? And Betty?

"At Disney World. The seminar was beginning to bore me, to say nothing about Betty. He asked me to take his computer after the last class we had today. He said he had a couple of errands to run, and his room was at the other end of the hotel, and he didn't want to be bothered with it, and that he would come by my room to pick it up later. I told him that we had planned to go to the Park, so I gave him one of our keys so he could pick it up if we were not in when he came by."

Cool Hand could sense the wheels turning. This time the wheels were Bucks.

"Not everybody seems to have been bored," Gail said, speaking over the microphone- video, attached to the computer. She continued to laugh, enjoying their predicament. "Upper management has apparently found a remedy for it."

"Taint funny, Mrs. Ninety-Mile Gale," Cool Hand said.

Betty walked over to the small desk where the computer was set up, placed her hands on Cool Hands shoulder and leaned over so that she could be seen on the video and said, "Yes, it is!" and laughed. Gail continued to chuckle. "But he did get some interesting data on the eggheads, especially Mr. Movie Star."

"Such as?" Buck inquired.

Cool Hand hesitated and said, "You do the honors. You did psychology in college."

"Move," she said to Cool Hand and sat down in the small chair. The video/audio accessory was a conferencing tool, a feature that all the Four Musketeers had installed in their computers, so that they could conference.

"Were you a psychology major?" Buck asked.

"It was a minor and I got Cs," she said, somewhat sheepishly, "but I cant understand why anyone would allow this type of information to lie around."

"It wasn't lying around, Sweetie," Cool Hand said. "I liberated it from his computer. That's the beauty of computers; you can take everything in it and its just as full when you finish as it was when you started. Its as though it has never been touched."

The two machines were on split screen, one for the video and the other for the files that had been lifted. "Betty," Buck said, "can you work up a profile on the Cool Hands favorite four?"

"I wont have to," Betty said. "The files are already in a profile format, so to speak. I can study them for a while and probably tell you more about them than their mothers knew, not that mothers really know what their little boys think about. This is just like a classroom example, a study case. I do have a so-called psychological program that has a very simple menu entry that will print out an evaluation. With this information, it will be a snap".

"Good!" Buck said. "See what you can write up in layman's terms on Messieurs Herschell T. Hightower, Charles Sidney Limbaugh, Theodore Renfroe Breedlove and. . . Joe Smith?"

"Yeah," Cool Hand said. He slipped in: "Mr. Joseph Bradford Smith. He is Mr. Movie Star."

"Are you sure his name isn't John?" Gail asked and laughed.

"By the way," Betty asked, "why do you want this information?" She paused a second and added, "Forget I asked that. I don't want to know why. It smacks of a Rat Pack scheme."

"Good girl, Betty," Buck said. "Also see what you can do with the handwriting samples."

"It'll be like reading a comic book," she replied. "These guys are idiots. There are videos of them being psychoanalyzed, under hypnosis. I have heard that such examinations are routine for people who do that type of work, required even. Wait. . . wait. Our movie star wannabes file is not nearly as complete."

"Which of our geniuses is on the advisory board for the casinos?" Buck asked, almost trying to suggest the answer.

"Bingo!" Cool Hand said. "He da man. Little Joe, himself!"

"Are you sure?"

"Also in his computer case was a lone 3.5 floppy, red in color, with a blank label on it. He is not the type to use those much, not with the sophistication of his computer. Something was on it, something he didnt want on his hard drive, I'll bet. The disk has been used many times; the label was worn. Dang me! Why didn't I copy it?"

"We're good for now," Buck said. Ill get this information to Swede and Willy. Just tell your new

buddy what happened and assure him that the incriminating evidence sent out will be erased and that it will never come up. I make no promises for Mr. Nordness but you know him as well as well as I do. I wouldnt even mention Mr. Nordness."

"Yeah," Cool Hand said. "What would be the point? That would just upset him."

"You were right, Betty," Gail said. "It is a Rat Pack scheme. I don't want to know what it is either!"

"When will you be back?" Buck asked.

"This Sunday afternoon."

"Good! I'll get a table for us at Jimez's, for the eight of us."

"Jimez was sold, wasn't it?"

"The new owners have done a good job with it. They still have great steaks and seafood and the service is outstanding The new name is The Venetian."

* * *

**Sunday evening, The Venetian, formerly Jimez's Restaurant:**

"While the ladies are across the street at The Ironworks Gym, working on their tans," Buck said, "we have time for a quick pre-supper drink and a report. Before they get here, Swede, tell us if we are going to a wedding."

"Probably, but not for a while. We haven't made any plans yet." He summoned a waitress to their table. "But that had nothing to do with the reason for the trip, really. We have already talked about matrimony. How did you do in Tunica, Willy?"

"I won enough to pay for the trip plus $58.00. Jeannine won about $600.00. She may start going with us."

"That'll work," Swede said.

"I was just kidding. Despite winning, which she said was fun, she found it boring, or so she said. She used the money for memberships to the gym. You know what that means. Now I have to go."

"Tell us about your new buddy," Swede said.

"And that unmarked disk," Willy said. "What do you think is on it?"

"It could be anything. Phone numbers, addresses, anything."

The waitress came to their table and took their orders for a round of beers, something they rarely ordered when dining but as Swede pointed out, they weren't dining yet and wouldn't be for probably for another half-hour when the girls would join them. To be proper, he said, we will have to have a glass of something pink with a French or Spanish name in a few minutes. Lets enjoy at least one crude drink while we can."

"Okay, my friend," Willy said. "You didn't go to Kentucky to ask Susan's parents permission to marry their daughter, not that that is a bad idea. So, fess up!"

"You remember my mentioning Wayne Gavin, don't you?"

"Isn't he the one who use to work for one of the companies who manufacture slot machines?" Buck asked.

"Yes. International Games Technologies. They make over 100,000 machines a year and their machines are in practically every casino in the country. I have seen the name on several of their machines at the Star and the Moon and there are some in Gulfport, iloxi and Tunica as well."

"Does your friend still work for the slot machine company?" Cool Hand asked.

The waitress arrived with the beer and asked if they were ready to order. Willy said,

"No. Not just yet. We will order when the wives get here. You can bring the menus then."

She smiled and left.

"No. He lost that job. In fact he in on probation. He and his partner almost got some jail time for smuggling cigarettes."

"Is that worth the risk?" Buck asked.

"Not if you get caught," Swede said, "but he and his friend were pulling down close to $3,000.00 a week, each. Fortunately, their lawyer cut a deal for them. They were caught with only six cartons and received only a one year probation. They couldn't prove anything on them beyond what they had, and they stuck with the story that they bought them form some guy at a bar. Their story, although fabricated on the spot, did sound truthful enough when presented before a judge, by a lawyer. Several bars in the area had been cited for selling untaxed tobacco. At least they didn't loose their vehicles."

"What sort of vehicles were they using?" Willy asked.

"Large, walk-in panel trucks. They use rubberized, magnetic signs on the exterior. His partner in crime owns a magnetic, stick-on sign business. They also rent the vehicles. Within five minutes they can convert a plumbing company to a flower nursery."

"What is Wayne doing now?" Cool Hand asked.

"He and his partner are running the legitimate sign and vehicle rental business. It doesn't pay nearly as well as tobacco transportation but a lot more than the one they could be engaged in."

"Which would be. . .?" Willy asked. "Making tags for those vehicles?"

"That or something equally as glamorous. Mr. Gavin and his friend are now model citizens, especially since being watched like a hawk, by the FEDs, no less. Wayne says that he does not intend to as much as sing too loud in church until the probation is over."

"How long is that?" Buck asked.

"About a month and a half longer, but with as many Federal agents involved in Homeland Security activities, it could be less as far as actual surveillance is concerned. In fact, he said that he hasn't seen any of them snooping around much for a while."

" Watching cigarette smugglers is not what the Elliot Ness wannabes care about. It doesn't read well on their resumes."

"Does he visit the casinos and play the machines?" Buck asked.

"He thinks about slot machines the same way as our girls do. They are designed and built to do one thing: take your money."

"He doesn't speak well of his former employees product," Willy said.

"Those machines do a great job, according to Wayne," Swede said. "He just doesn't intend to give them any of his."

"If you speak with him, tell him I wish him well in avoiding the authorities," Buck said.

"I will," Swede said, holding up a small device. "In fact, he wishes us well and he sent you a little gift, something he wants us to take to the casinos."

"What is it?" Willy asked. "It looks like a whistle."

"Correct. And according to Wayne, it will drive the dogs in the neighborhood into the trees."

"He wants us to. . ? Go to the casino and annoy some dogs?" Buck asked. "It sounds as though you friend needs a hobby."

"That's about what I told him," Swede said, "except that I didn't clean it up as neatly as you did." He finished the Micholobe Light and looked around for the waitress, whom he could not locate. One would have to be enough. "According to Wayne, this high frequency whistle, that will get the attention of any dog or cat within earshot will also influence RNGs."

"RNGs?"

"Random number generators! You know, the unit inside slot machines that determines whether or not you win and what the payout is. It disrupts the process somehow and causes it to think that the jackpot number has been hit and the winning symbols come up."

"Does it work?" Willy asked.

"Wayne said that part of his job, for a short period of time, involved checking the machines. All he had to do was to put the metal coins/disks into the machines and play them. His supervisor, troubled by barking dogs at night had purchased one of these whistles. He showed it to Wayne and forgot to take it with him when he left the testing room. Left to his own devices, and being somewhat afflicted with a serious case of attention deficiency syndrome when not directly involved in making a buck, Wayne noticed that when he blew the whistle, the machines would frequently stop on winning combinations, at or near the top payout."

"Has he been to a casino to check it out?" Willy asked.

"Actually, no," Swede said. "Wayne said that his supervisor returned to retrieve the whistle, but he did ask him where he bought it and got one for himself, telling him that he also had some trouble with a large dog in his community. He checked out his whistle on several models and the results were similar, but it did not work on all of them, just certain ones. He gave me a partial list of models. He is preparing a more detailed list, and best of all, where the machines were sold."

"I thought you said that he lost that job," Buck said.

"He did," Swede said, "but the lists were part of some records that is in one of the boxes he left with. There is no impropriety or violation of company policy in having this information. The company typically publishes parts of this information in their reports to the employees and stockholders. It is supposed to make them proud that something they created is being used by so many people. Company pride or something."

"Your friend, Wayne, has a scheme or device that he thinks will empty slot machines and he gave it to you?" Cool Hand asked. "He didn't sell you any swampland, did he? Why hasn't he taken advantage of it?"

"There are no casinos close by, and their tobacco transportation business hit the snag just about the time he made the discovery. And one of the provisions of their probation is that they not frequent any establishments where alcohol is served, such as casinos. Besides, telling me, or us about it won't cost him a dime. This way, we check it out for him."

"Can they do that? I mean, can the FEDs put such restrictions on people?" Cool Hand asked.

"Their lawyer advised them to agree to whatever conditions the FEDs issued," Swede replied. "They were all but nailed. And yes! The Feds, when they hold the whip hand, which they frequently do, can and often do just about anything they please."

"What about his partner?" Willy asked. "Does he know about the whistle and what Wayne thinks it may be able to do?"

"He didnt mention it."

"How is Betty doing with the work-up on your doctors, George?"

"She said that its complete, and she can make it a show-and-tell. She laughs about it a lot. Of course, she and her compatriots find us amusing at times as well." He looked toward the front of the restaurant, where the small, cozy bar was located, hoping to catch the eye of the waitress who served them earlier. Not seeing her, he smiled with chagrin when instead he saw the four ladies in their lives enter and said, "Speaking of the Devil. Make that plural or better yet, maybe I should say devilesses. Something pink and light will be better than some old amber colored nectar of the gods anyway."

"I heard that," Betty said.

Swede stood up to allow them to get to the table and their respective seats and said as he gave her a welcoming buzz, "No, you didnt. You read my lips. I was just trying to get the waitress to bring us the wine list."

"To order something pink and light, correct?" Susan said.

"You too, Susan?" Buck asked, inferring that she had learned to lip-read also.

"We talk about something besides boys occasionally," Jeannine said. "Besides, you boys are an open book. We have time to spare."

"How does the print compare?" Buck asked and smiled. He then flinched and said to Gail, "Dont be pinching me like that."

Unembarrassed, Susan said, chucking Buck on the cheek, "Don't you know that it is a serious breech of etiquette to publicly compare one person to another? Of course, all the votes as to whether you four should even be allowed to run free in public are not yet in."

"Speaking of comparisons and books," Willy said, "how do the fabulous four stand in the ratings?"

"I dont know if that quartet is for real or not," Betty said. "Among the four of them are about as many phobias as you would expect to find in any group of people anywhere."

"Didn't you work for a psychiatrist for a while?" Willy asked.

"Yes, and no," she replied. "I worked in an office where three psychiatrists had their practices. I was an office temp; I filed, typed, made coffee and ran errands while I was going to school. One of the doctors was female and encouraged me to take some courses related to psychiatry. That is how I selected my minor. If it had not been for the tutoring I got at the office, those Cs I got may well have been Ds, or worse."

The waitress that George had tried to summons earlier arrived and asked if they wanted to order a pre-dinner drink. George smiled and said, "Ladies choice."

Jeannine said, "Another round of. . .whatever they had and four glasses of your house wine. I hope its a port. We'll order when you return." The waitress nodded and left, not really wanting to banter with the females.

Willy smiled and Swede gave a slight chicken-wing flap to suggest that his friends were hen-pecked because he let Jeannine order the drinks. Continuing to smile, he said, "You could be drinking something pink with a name you have trouble pronouncing."

Buck said, "You mentioned that the four doctors, or whatever they are, have or appear to have as many phobias as you would find anywhere. As a rule, does one demographic or another have any more phobias than others?"

"Not according to the staff at the clinic where I worked while going to school. The most solid looking, emotionally strong types have about as many hang-ups and insecurities as you would expect Don Knotts characters to have."

"What about our four. . .?" He paused, almost saying targets and then inserted, "subjects?"

"Do you really want the opinion of a C student whose expertise in the field is based on a minor course of study and whose experience consisted of being a gofer in a clinic?" Swede said. "Don't forget, you probably have overheard more case studies and dealt with more confidential information on people than most doctors. And as far as the Cs are concerned, do you know what they call the person who graduated last in his class at his medical school. They call him doctor, just like the one who finished first."

"Roughly translated," Cool Hand said, "Swede graduated with a sea of Cs."

"And glad to have gotten a lot of them," Swede said. "But I think that what my friend is about to ask is: What drives them? What are their phobias or what most do they want to hide from the world?"

"One thing about Mr. Movie Star, it certainly isn't coitophobia."

"What is that?" Cool Hand asked.

"If I may paraphrase and use a term you four cretins will understand, sexophobia."

"What is his main fear?" Buck asked.

"You aren't really interested in the other three, are you?"

"Not really."

"Being exposed, laid bare, etc. but that is common to most people."

"They put all this information into their files and then are concerned about having someone seeing it?" Willy asked.

"Again, to use a euphemism, it is a smoke screen. They put it into their files knowing that nobody will see it. Besides, they didn't really put it there about themselves, they put it there about each other."

"Can he be bought?" Buck said. "I know we all can, for a price, but what would most likely purchase his soul?"

"Can he be trusted?" Willy asked.

"Not in my opinion. I say that he is worm. He would turn on you, unless he is really compromised. As for what will purchase him, I would say money, power, the usual."

"None of which any of the four of you Boy Scouts have to spare," Betty said. "But why do you want to know." She paused and added, "Forget I asked that."

"That is a safe position to take," Gail said. "Our waitress is here. Lets order and forget about Rat Pack schemes."

In the parking lot prior to leaving, Buck said, "Swede, you were in the vault. Can you duplicate it?"

"Duplicate it? As in Oceans Eleven?"

"Graphically, virtual imagery."

"I would have to make some dimensional estimations, but using the tape we have and my CAD programs, I can probably come up with a fairly accurate set of drawings and with virtual reality viewing helmets, we can walk around in it with no problem."

"How long will that take?"

"I already have some of it done. Give me a couple of days. I'll call you Wednesday or Thursday, but I have only two helmets."

"I'll get a couple more. Call me when you have it."

As Buck was pulling out of the lot, Cool Hand said, "He has a plan. Already, he has a plan. For what, I don't know."

"That was my plan," Swede said, "Get the Buck started."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER THREE **

**Buck's den—Thursday**

"This looks good, Swede," Buck said, turning his head slowly to view the spacious interior of the casino. '_Walk'_ us to the elevator." He turned his view back to the left, revealing the slot machine lined walkway to the space in front of the elevators, the one on the right, the only access to the vault, located over fifty feet below. "This looks real, much better than a lot of the virtual reality computer games."

"This elevator has no 'UP' button. Instead, it has a computer-chip access card slot and an adjacent fingerprint reader to confirm the user's identity. For now, pretend that I have one of the cards," Swede said, "and of course the right fingerprint. Step to the rear of the car, please. The interior of the elevator does not enhance or even allow the allusion of movent. Sorry."

"This is good enough," Cool Hand said. "It is just as I remember it, except for the feeling that I am stealing my way into the lion's den."

"That choice of words—_stealing_ and _lion's den_ is apropos," Willy said. "I hope it does not later prove to have been an ominous premonition."

"Especially the lion's den part," Swede said. "Gentlemen, if you will step from the car, you will see the pot at the end of the rainbow, actually at the other end of the room. On each side are a couple of small rooms where they park some of the dollies used to transport money to and from the vault and about the casino. One of the doors, the one closest to the vault is the head. I got only a quick glimpse inside one of the other rooms when we were doing the commercial but they didn't take the camera inside. You will notice that the vault door isn't solid, none the less sturdy but the door is a lattice work of 2" x 2" chromium steel bars."

"Is this typical, George?" Buck asked. "I mean, is it secure to use this type of door?"

"This is in a 50 foot deep, steel reinforced concrete hole in the ground," Cool Hand said. "You may be able to see between the shiny steel bars, into the vault, but it would take an Abrams tank to blow a hole in one of them, or any other part of the surfaces and that is providing you could get the tank into the place. Also, you noticed the armed guard at the elevator door upstairs. He and/or one of his similarly armed associates is posted there, 24/7, 365 days a year, 366 on leap years. They wouldn't care if Dillinger got into the vault. He would never get out. They have no problem insuring or protecting the money. This place was mentioned in our just completed seminar on bank security. Although, not specifically spoken or stated at the seminar, one of the great deterrents to anyone who has designs on the assets of the casinos is the fact that the people who concern themselves with the security will arrange for someone to place said people on spits, along with everyone said people may happen to know or possibly had contact with concerning such designs. Everyone, right down to their neighbor's cat, if they have a cat."

"That was as long a sentence as I have ever heard you use, Cool Hand," Swede said.

"Not as long as you would stay on the spit, turning slowly over an open fire. You would welcome being arrested rather than deal with those people. I'm not talking about some simple savages, not that I mean to imply that the Indians of the Choctaw tribes are either simple or savage. The only time I would use simple and savage in a sentence about them is to say that they would simply call their savage security people and have them deal with it."

"We all know where the plan is leading," Willy said, "but we also know that it is no more than an academic exercise or one of futility. They don't have to worry about Dillinger. He is dead, just like anybody else would be if they tried to smash and grab something. Dead or manacled head and foot. They have armed guards just to escort the dollies of coins they move around the casinos."

"Too many negative vibes, Willy," Swede said.

"No," Buck said. "He is right. There _is_ no way, that I know of, to break into the vault as Mr. Nordness suggested we should do. How did he put it—to knock off one of the casinos? This is academic, if the word academic can be used in a sentence with something so stupid, but interesting to consider and such a plan, even though it is just for conversation, should consider all the obstacles and/or pitfalls and as Mr. Custer said: It is a pit."

"Are we all crazy?" Willy asked. "None of us has actually said, "Let's devise a plan to rob a casino", yet all of us are thinking about it, knowing that it can't be done, outside the fantasy of movies."

"**All** of us, Willy? Swede asked. "That includes you, right?" He put the virtual image program on hold and the four drug-store Rat Pack wannabes took off the viewing helmets. "What have you done to further the _plan, _that doesn't exist?"

"I have photographs of armored cars, complete with close-ups of dings and dents and tag numbers."

"That would be to. . ?" Swede asked.

"Serve as a guide to disguise a truck to look like an armored car."

Cool Hand laughed but Buck said, "No. No, that's good. Take a look at the tape of the commercial. The truck wasn't a real armored truck. It was just a prop, really. Of course, all they put into it was stacks of paper in shrink wraps to look like currency."

"And speaking of currency," Willy said, "where would we get enough to finance such an operation. At one of Cool Hand's banks? Such a plan should be all the collateral necessary to secure a loan."

"You do have a way of bringing these flights of fancy back to reality," Cool Hand said. "But let's at least look around in the vault some more. This is a good job of rendering. How did you get the dimensions, Swede?"

"As a scale, I used the dimension from the width of my shirt pocket in the video they gave us and worked from there. The graphics program did all the work."

"They didn't really _give_ us the copy we have," Buck said, smiling. "We were supposed to have received the edited version. I wonder if they know that they gave us the original by mistake?"

Willy said, "I know I haven't mentioned it to anyone. Swede, walk us over to the vault, to get a closer look."

"Right this way, gentlemen. If you hold your hand out, you can almost feel the metal door."

Complying with Swede's suggestion, Willy placed his index finger where the vault door would be. Just as he _'made contact'_ with the door, an alarm sounded. "You see what I was saying. Even this computer game has us covered."

"Relax!" Cool Hand said. "It's only my cell phone. Excuse me for a moment."

"You're kind of jumpy, Willy," Swede said. "Guilty conscience?"

"It startled me too," Buck said.

"Bring your file on down to the den," Cool Hand said. "We're not really plotting to overthrow the country."

"Who was it?" Buck asked.

"I forgot to mention that one of Betty's friends, Cathy McBlevins, is looking for a job and Betty told her about an opening at the bank and that I would put a word in for her. She says that she knows you, Buck, and in fact worked in your crew for a short time."

"I remember a Cathy, good looking girl! But McBlevins doesn't ring a bell. "

The door opened and Betty came into the room, followed by an attractive, well-built female. "I don't know whether to leave you here with these four or not but Gail and I are in the middle of watching a good movie. You're on your own, girl."

"Cathy Veli," Buck said and extended his arms to give her a hug. "How have you been and what is you name? McBlevins? Married, I assume."

"I was. Currently unattached. Do you know any rich bankers?"

"Actually we do," Buck said. "Well, we know of them."

"Isn't Mr. Smith available?" Buck asked.

"More or less," Cool Hand said. "What type of position are you looking for, Cathy?"

"The higher, the better," she said, "but secretary sounds good enough. If there are any better ones around that I can do, I'll consider them. But for now, if I can just get inside, it will be good. I can operate most of the current programs used in business and I have my own network for travel arrangements. Betty says that is a problem in your office."

"What are you doing at the present?"

"I work part time for a heavy equipment leasing company—cranes, bulldozers, trucks, you name it. Plus I rep for a uniform supplier, waiters, band uniforms, policemen, tailored military uniforms, whatever. But the work is seasonal for the equipment and spasmodic for the uniforms."

Buck held up two thumbs. Cathy could not see him but Cool Hand did. He said, "This guy has influence, Cathy and I know he will prove to be the best reference you can find. Be sure to put me down for a reference as well."

"What are you guys up to," Cathy asked. "Is this the local draft board?"

"Local draft board?" Swede said. "What are you talking about. Is there something we should know about our friend?"

"Hasn't he ever told you about the people he and his henchmen had _'drafted'_ into the military?"

"I never drafted anyone, Cathy. Those were just rumors."

"Lightning could strike your lying ass, Buck Huston. You scared the hell out of some of those kids with those letters that would just "appear" on their desks. One of them actually left work and returned to Atlanta to report."

"We managed to stop him in time. Actually, I wasn't the one who did it. I just _knew_ about it. It was the Pantum."

She pointed a finger at him, laughed and said, "You're guilty! And you know it."

"You had better put in a good word for this girl, Cool Hand," Willy said and laughed. "She apparently has enough dirt on our man to bury him. It could eventually get us as well."

"I'll see you guys later," She said. "I'll leave my résumé with Betty. But seriously, put in a good word or two."

"Consider it done. Anyone who has as much on one of us as you do has to be catered to." She smiled again and left. They realized that her file had not even been opened, not that such an inspection was necessary. Nobody puts anything in their résumés to suggest that they have ever done anything less than hang the moon, anyway.

"The **Pantum**. . ?" Willy said. "What, or who is the Pantum."

"It's a nickname we gave to a guy who worked with us a few years ago, "Buck said. "He pulled more pranks on people than anyone in the building but never got caught or even blamed for any of them. In fact, I was usually the one blamed. I and an old friend..." He paused for a moment. "His name, or nickname was Willy also. Willy D."

"You gave me the high sign a minute ago, "Cool Hand said. "Is this just because she is an old friend or is she suddenly part of the scheme?"

"Just a thought. Who is the secretarial job for, one of our fabulous four?"

"No, but she will most likely have to meet with one or more of them before she is hired. In fact, I know she will. All new and prospective employees have to. One of the four, Little Joe himself, is the one I intend to make the recommendation to. He was appreciative of the cover I provided for him in Orlando."

"Does he carry any weight around the office or is he just a token poor boy who_ 'made it to the top'_?"

"About half and half, I suppose. He enjoys a fair amount of respect, although after what happened in Orlando, maybe he shouldn't be trusted all that much."

"That is probably happening on the local scene as well. See if you can press the issue. He and your bank will be pleased if the association is allowed to grow. I guarantee it. Cathy is pretty smart! She can run an office."

"And. . .?" Willy and Swede said, almost in unison.

"Yeah!" Cool Hand said, "And?" The three turned their eyes on Buck and Cool Hand said, "You want to know what's on that disk! Right?"

"And you think she can find out?" Willy asked.

"Just help her get the job and we'll see. By the way, what time is it, Swede?"

A puzzled look came over Swede's face, knowing that Buck wore a wrist watch, as did all four of them. Also, there was a digital clock on the wall, an atomic clock that resets itself every five minutes in case it get off time but he realized that he no longer had his watch and said, "What the. . .?"

"What did she lift from you, Cool Hand? Be sure to check all of your pockets."

"Billfold. . .pen and pencil, pocket knife."

"Besides the watch, Swede?"

Embarrassed, he said, "Billfold, notebook." He paused, checked his trouser pants and added, "Four coins. That's about it. What about you, Willy?"

"I'm a married man," Willy said and laughed. "I don't get that close to unauthorized boobs. Besides, I noticed our man, Buck, here, take inventory after giving her the hug."

There was a light tap at the door. It was Gail, with the lifted items in her hand. She handed them to Swede and Cool Hand said, "Who looks after you boys when you get out into the world. Do you have some guardian angels." Buck laughed and Gail handed him his belt buckle." Shaking her head, she left the room and then returned to the door and said, "Oh, Cathy said for you to have a nice day, all of you."

"She hasn't lost her touch," Buck said. "Not to worry. She isn't a thief; she does this only as a parlor trick. She also worked as a magician's assistant."

"I though I was more observant than that," Swede said."

"Same here," Cool Hand said. "But Gail is right. We probably have been lucky, as often as we move about in crowds such as in the casinos. Does her talent have anything to do with your interest in getting her the job?"

"Just a contingency. . .for the academic exercise. Did you find about the amount of money on hand at the Star and the Moon?"

"As you know, all casinos are required by law and the gaming commissions that govern them to have enough cash on hand to cover any losses that may occur. The really big payouts, namely the 6 out of 60, 8 out of 80, etc. games have an annuitised pay out. The winner, if there is ever actually a winner, would receive only a few thousand dollars on the spot. The remainder would be arranged through his or some bank."

"Do you mean that they do not have that much money on hand?" Swede asked.

"Oh, yes. They have it, and much more. And they move it around, that part that they don't have invested in markets. They keep the locations of large volumes of currency under wraps, for security reasons. Only banking institutions, such as the one I work for have the locations.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FOUR **

**Friday, 9:30 PM:**

"How are things in Vicksburg, Willy?" Buck asked.

"Flowers. There are flowers everywhere and none of them are edible." He grunted from a shot to the ribs Jeannine playfully gave him. He said, "I stand corrected. The flowers are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful!"

"We are linked," Buck said. "I'll go first. I found one of the machines at the Moon and two at the Star. There was a problem: One of the security men asked me if he could help me when I stuck my head between the machines to check the numbers."

"He's real cool when he is trying to be sneaky," Gail said. "He can't sneak through a cemetery, but the dog whistle works. The machine at the Moon was being played by a little old lady who had been loosing all afternoon. On the second '_blast'_ from the whistle, the machine jackpotted. We didn't get the money, but it does work. We did get the money from the two at the Star, one a Sierra Silver—the ones with the belt buckles and the other one was a machine with nothing but 7's on it. Yes! Over 4000 bucks each!"

"There was another little problem," Buck said, "namely that they took the machine out of service after the second jackpot. The dispensing clerk said that the machine had jackpotted only ten minutes earlier. We need to first locate the machines and hit them, in force, as quickly as possible."

"That could be a problem, also," Swede said. "We are know by sight by too many people at the Star and the Moon. We won't be able to collect much without being noticed. And, as you know, it's required to sign for every win over. . .what is is?. . $1200.00. That will make it difficult to get top dollar from more than one, maybe two machines."

"What's wrong with that?" Susan spoke up. "Isn't that enough? What are you trying to do, break their bank?" A silence fell over the group, a silence that even the four-way computer hook-up to respected.

"It's just a little system we are toying with," Cool Hand said. "Nothing really big."

"A friend of mine asked me to check it out," Swede said.

"If you're referring to the silent whistles, they seem to work," Betty said. "But you are right, Swede. We hit on three machines, not the jackpot, but the second highest payout. The winning symbols were in the window every time but the main three never came up. We only got a little over $1800.00. They were just the 25 cent machines but I could feel the security people watching us. We located two $1.00 machines and one $5.00 machine but it was too busy in those areas. Maybe Buck is not the only one who can't sneak through a cemetery."

"The three machines we did hit were all on the same isle," Cool Hand said. "If we go back to that one, we will only try one of them."

"No!" Buck said. "Don't go back to that casino this trip or at least _'don't blow the whistle'_ on them again. Just locate as many on the list as you can but assault only one if they are within sight of each other and then do it only once. If you get another one to pay off, let Betty collect on the second one."

"How have you done, Willy?" Swede asked.

"It's like Betty said. The jackpot symbols are visible in the window but we could only get two out of the three to come up on the line. We have just over $850.00 but I feel like we are already robbing them."

Swede, trying to speak before any of the girls caught Willy's verbal slip-up, said, "We have just over $1100.00. We are making out like **bandits**."

"Bandits, indeed," Susan said. "I caught that _"__already__ robbing"_ them. It's fess-up time, guys."

"Scouts honor," Buck said. "We do not have any intention of trying to rob a casino. I mean, how stupid would that be? How _could_ it be done? It **can't!** If they will not bring the money out and give it to us, we will not attempt to leave with it. I did want to check out the high frequency whistle gimmick on the lottery-type machines but those machines are not even on the list."

"Check the definition of _'gimmick'_," Jeannine said. "It is a device to cheat, deceive; employed to cheat, deceive or trick; especially a mechanism for the secrete and dishonest control of gambling. The Red Skins will scalp you. And not just guys; **all** of us!"

"I should have never bought her that dictionary," Willy said. "I think she memorized it. But okay. The only thing we talked about is how to come up with the winning numbers of the mega payout machines, you know—the 5 out of 50, 6 out of 60, et cetera. If we can guess those numbers, what would be wrong with that? This little device that Swede's friend ask us, well actually he asked Swede, to check it out for him, is all we have. If this works, and so far, it _is_ working, up to a point, what's the harm?."

"And we don't want to overdo it," Swede said.

"Or spoil it for your friend," Buck said. "Let's just try to build our fund up for now. We may even get enough to take a cruise, or something. Get what you can this trip, have a good time and see how it goes. Just don't let anybody see the whistle."

"How did you hide yours, Buck?" Swede asked. "It is sort of awkward to use."

"I placed it inside one of the large coin cups and covered it with paper and a few coins. I just hold it on a knee while I am playing. A lot of people do it. Try it."

"But," Susan said, "you guys aren't satisfied as you say to _'blow the whistle'_ on them and taking a few thousand, are you? You can pocket large chunks of change with this. As Swede said—we shouldn't overdo it. I can see this happening."

"Can you also see us getting caught with devices to do that?" Willy asked.

"We are already in the casinos with those devices," Gail said. "What if we get caught with them? We _could_ say that the device is a substitute for a cigarette holder, sort of an aid to help us quit smoking. . . .?"

"Well," Swede said, "like Buck said. We should be cool, you know, play casual. If those same machines continue to pay out, they will be taken off the floors. In our favor, though, it isn't likely that even the manufacturers would make the connection without some clue."

"Yeah," Betty said. "Like some yahoos with dog whistles in front of machines what will not stop dispensing coins when they should not be."

"Here's the deal," Buck said. "Find as many of the machines as you can. Mark their location and get a description of them, like are they Blazing 7's, all 7's, cartoon characters or whatever. Don't take more than one jackpot per person at each casino. We'll get back to them!"

"How large will the fund have to be?" Susan asked, "for what you have in mind. And don't tell me you yo-yos don't have something up your collective sleeves. What will you have to finance?"

"Trips to the casinos," Cool Hand said. "Aren't these trips fun?"

"With you guys," Jeannine said, "they are getting more thrilling by the minute, if you happen to find robbing banks thrilling. But what the hey? . . .who didn't consider Jesse James a folk hero? Oh, God, those spikes I feel in the pit of my stomach. Tell me I am not part of this, whatever it turns out to be!"

"Don't forget the cruise, Sweetie," Buck said. "Just keep the cruise in mind as a goal. You girls should pigeonhole enough for a cruise, for eight, before anything else goes into the fund."

"You are a bad person, Buck Huston," Betty said. "You know that I have been trying to get George to take advantage of the cruises his bank sponsors."

"Okay, guys," Gail said. "You're on! Money for the cruise **first**. Then you George Looney wannabes can do whatever you want. Agreed?"

"**C**looney," Swede corrected. "Actually, the character's name was Danny Ocean."

"Whatever."

"When is the next bank sponsored trip coming up?" Jeannine asked.

"I don't know," Cool Hand said. "I get seasick. I really don't care for a boat ride."

"A deal's a deal, big boy!" Susan said. "As Janeway said to Nelix—you're going in! Check on it! We'll handle the fund until the cruise is secure."

"Who at the bank usually handles the arrangements for those events?" Buck asked.

"Our would-be movie star, Joe Smith, has done it before, but only because he is the low man on the food chain, VP-Wise. He delegates; I usually handle most of the details."

"Tell your _'new buddy'_ that the love of your life has expressed an interest in such a trip and that you will assist him in any way possible if and when. . . ," Buck said.

"The love of **your** life has also expressed an interest in such an event," Gail said.

"Maybe you aren't such a bad person after all, Buck," Betty said.

"Make that the love in four lives," Susan said. "Let's get busy and fill the pot."

**Wednesday evening, 7:30—Willy's house****:**

"Most men," Swede said, "when they have a_ 'boy's night out'_ make it a night of drinking or they play poker or bar hop. Or so I've been told. Are we less manly because we order pizza and Coke and talk about our trips?"

"Who in their right mind goes bar hopping and gets drunk when they have to work the next day?" Willy said. "Pizza and Coke, or as Buck takes it, pizza and Dr. Pepper, ain't bad. Our man Swede is having beer, albeit sissy beer."

"Hey, man!" Swede said, "don't diss my beverage. It's _Michelobe Light_. **In the can!**"

"How did the interview go, Cool Hand?" Buck said. "With Cathy?"

"I think our man, my _'new buddy',_ as you call him, was impressed with her. But who wouldn't be? He was as much '_taken by her_' as impressed."

"Were there any other applicants?" Willy asked.

"Two," Cool Hand said, "but only one of them is in the running. One, who has two degrees, was there more to hone her interviewing skills than to actually try to get the job. In fact, she said as much. I suggested that the contender be sent to talk with the director of another department. Cathy probably scored some points when Mr. T. R. Breedlove, one of the senior VPs came into my humble little office and asked about some accommodations in Charleston. By chance, she had the number of a hotel and even the names of two up-scale restaurants in the vicinity. Plus, she demonstrated her skills in the use of three programs that we use. You were right. She's good looking, well trained and smart."

"I may ask for a head-hunter fee if they hire her," Buck said. "Continue to press Joseph to recommend her, that you really owe her a big favor. Tell him anything."

"What about the cruise?" Swede asked. "That is more important than you may think."

"I was afraid you would ask," Cool Hand said. "I lost part of my appetite Monday and Tuesday just thinking about it. Why couldn't the bank simply have discontinued the practice or why didn't I just lie and tell you guys that they had."

"Because we would find you out," Swede said, "or worse yet, four ladies would find you out. And they know where you live. They want this cruise and we'll need their help and good will. Besides, the cruise will be fun, except maybe for Cool Hand."

"And we have agreed to pay for it out of the fund," Willy said. "Just think of a large oak tree and you will be fine," Willy said. "An oak tree on a hillside."

Cool Hand cringed and said, "In four weeks from this weekend: It's a 12-day cruise with the Cape Canaveral Cruise Line, leaving from Port Canaveral of course. It's a new arrangement that has been made. With transportation and all charges, it will cost just over $1500.00 per person, with double occupancy. I may be able to get a discount for all of us. That's $12,000.00, guys."

"Maybe you will get an additional discount because of the meals that you won't be eating," Willy said, smiling.

"Will our man, Joseph be on the trip?" Buck said.

"He always is. He gets to go free."

"And you, Cool Hand?" Swede asked. "Didn't you say that you would probably have to do most of the work for the VPs?"

"I could have been going—free—if I was fond of hanging over the rail for a week or so and starving. I just give my "free trip" to someone more hearty than I."

"Can you wrangle it so that Cathy will get your free trip?" Buck asked.

"I don't know. She doesn't even work for the bank. . . .yet. Why do you want her to go on the trip?"

"In case the VPs go and take their wives along, which they are likely to do, she could be a possible friend for Joseph. Mrs. Hightower may or may not cotton to the idea but if VP Hightower has any suspicions about Joseph, and obviously he doesn't for the present, her presence could help him in case of complications."

"That's not the reason, is it?" Willy said. "You want her to get close to him and get something from him, don't you? Another look at his computer? That floppy? Do you think that she would do it, that is, be a party to our little comic-book scheme?"

"Everything is an extremely long shot," Buck said. "But let's try to get a few things into place. First, get her hired; she needs the job. Then, I'll talk to her." He paused for a moment, mentally massaging the beard that he did not have and added, "Willy, stick the tape into the VCR and let's watch the little _Dog and Pony_ show at the end, where they reveal the winning numbers."

"Just a second," Willy said. "I'll have to look for my copy. Turn the TV on. They show this at least couple of dozen times a day on the monitors at the Star and the Moon. Here it is."

"Fast forward it to that part," Buck said. "Tell me, Swede. What are the chances that somebody could hack into the system and download the numbers?"

"That number," Swede said, "you know, four quadrigillion. Well that would be a good bet—one out of four quadrilgillion. On the other hand, though, the number of eggheads per capita who think they are smart enough to beat the system; well, the odds that one or more of them will try are higher, much higher. Where did you get such a number?"

"That is how fast the alien ships that chase the Enterprise can travel," Cool Hand said. "Four quadrigillion light years per nanosecond. And that's just in second gear."

"Comic book!" Willy said. "Here it is."

The scene, one that they had seen many times, replayed. Four men dressed in expensive suits watched as an armed security officer accepted three sealed envelopes, each containing one number of the combination to a safe. The three-number combination is selected by three members of the committee, each selecting one-third. The fourth member then hands his envelope to the officer. His envelope selects the sequence for the three numbers.

As the scene continued and the officer was dialing the numbers in, Buck said, "Is any of this necessary, Swede?"

Willy answered, saying," No. Five or six years ago, and even then the odds of getting the numbers from the computers would have been equal to or less than the odds you stated, the numbers could have been intercepted **if,** and **only if** they were transmitted, say, on the internet or through E-Mail. And then the hacker would have had to have several passwords, along with the provider and the. . .let's just say that it would have been and is, for all practical purposes, impossible."

"And," Swede said, "programming is no longer in the _'dark ages'_ of five or six years ago. It has taken on some serious sophistication. The instant anyone would even try, a squad of ill-tempered troops would be knocking on his door. Well, actually, the ill-tempered troops would be good news for the hacker. His real problem would have arrived ahead of them. And they don't knock, at least not on the door."

The security officer in the video removed the sealed, notarized and witnessed packet from the safe and opened it, revealing the six winning combinations for the previous three-day period. On signal, the numbers were transmitted to the several casinos in the network and were displayed. The procedure was then repeated. The sequence was selected by one of the group and each of the other three wrote down his part of the new combination to be used and entered it into the machine. They sealed and notarized the packet and then placed it into the safe for the next time. At no time did any of the four see any part of the numbers other than their part of the combination and that was just to the safe that had the winning numbers. The safe itself is in plain view of at least a dozen people at all times.

"At the seminar I just attended," Cool Hand said, "one of the security experts the bank hired for the classes said that the only reason they do this—show the video of this little procedure—is to assure the public that it is on the up-and-up. The real security is handled by the computers but that is the problem. There are a lot of people, namely the 'older, geriatric generation', who just do not trust computers. And as you have noticed, the casinos are filled with this group but they just think that they are not trusting computers. Half of the things connected to our daily lives are dependent upon computers and we don't give it a second thought but it's not just the old crowd who doesn't trust computers. Everybody knows this."

"There is no reason for the owners of the casinos to rig the game, or any of their games for that matter," Willy said. "The odds are so overwhelmingly in their favor that it is simply not necessary. They're not gambling; they're just collecting money. But you still want to see that disk, don't you?"

"Yes! But several little, well, maybe not so little, things need to happen and/or fall into place. The cruise is set then. Right?"

"Susan insisted, with support from her one-for-all and all-for-one musketeerettes, that I pay the full amount in advance—not the usual deposit. And remember, she quotes Star Trek better than person I know. I'll do what I can about getting Cathy in."

"As Susan said: Let's collect some money ourselves and fill the pot!"


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Monday, 7:30 PM—Buck's den:**

"Give poor old Cool Hand an extra piece of pizza, Willy," Swede said. "He has only three weeks before he has to go on his _'cruise diet'. _Maybe if he loads up now, he will survive the trip."

"Look, guys," Cool Hand said. "If you have never been sea sick, you may think it's funny, and obviously you do, so I fully expect the three of you to carry the load while on the boat."

"There shouldn't be anything to do, Cool Hand," Willy said, "other than to lie around and, forgive me for mentioning it, eat."

"The rest of you may be playing shuffleboard, relaxing and eating but the real reason for this trip is not to take time to stuff yourselves and gain a few pounds."

"Your sacrifice is duly noted," Buck said, "and if you get sick enough, we will help you hijack the ship and run it aground. But, seriously, you are right; the trip is primarily for the girls. They put up with a lot from us, namely, not being around. I don't know why Betty and Susan even tolerate Swede and you, Cool Hand."

"We keep good company," Swede said. "And I took Susan to see her parents."

"You went to Kentucky as much to find out what your friend Wayne had as anything else," Willy said. "Bless your scheming heart, though. It's paying off."

"Yes, it is!" Cool Hand said. "Betty _gave_ the fund back to me after I paid for the cruise. If we keep going, we can do well enough with just the whistle. With what we took in while in Tunica the last two days, we have increased the fund to close to $30,000.00"

"Buy something for the girls," Buck said. "And what about your friend, Wayne, Swede? Does he know how well the device is working?"

"Yes. I talked with him last night. He and his business partner are planning a trip to Gulfport/Biloxi in a couple of days."

"Is their probation over?" Willy asked.

"Their lawyer talked with the Federal people and they cut them loose," Swede said. "I told him how well it worked and the precautions we are taking not to overdo it. I also told him that we would lighten up until he has a chance to try it himself. After all, it was his to begin with. I hope that all of you agree."

"By all means," Buck said. Willy and Cool Hand nodded. "To tell the truth, I am surprised that it has worked as well as it did. I'm surprised that it worked at all. What about our girl, Cathy?"

"I told Hightower that I would need some help with the cruise arrangements because of the extra interest this time of year and of course, our work load. So for now, Cathy is a temporary employee. Come to think of it, I believe that _**I**_ am still a temporary employee. They never told me my status had changed."

"Is she going on the cruise?"

"She said she wouldn't miss it and that she believes that she is going to love working for the bank: She gets paid to be around bankers, AKA potential husbands, and she's getting to take a vacation before she even goes to work. Well, actually, she has already started."

"I suggested to Gail that we all get together one night this weekend, either Friday or Saturday. How does a barbecue sound, Willy? We'll celebrate. . .what?"

"Cathy's new job," Swede said. "That's better than some of the reasons we have had to get together. Besides, you said that you wanted to talk to her, anyway."

"Do you have her number? Cathy's number?"

"Betty has it," Cool Hand said. "Give me a minute and I call her. She can call her. I don't know what her usual agenda is but she has been in touch pretty much the last couple of weeks, probably due to her job search. Is this their bowling or aerobics night? Talk about not being around where we are. They love us because we tolerate them. Excuse me for a minute while I locate her."

"While you are on the phone for Betty, I think I'll try to reach Wayne again," Swede said.

"Gail left us half of a German chocolate cake," Buck said. "Come on, Willy. While they are on the phone, we'll get it and some coffee."

"Did Gale make the cake, Buck?" Swede asked. "Put it in your will. When you die, Gale is mine. I'll take milk instead of Coffee."

"What about Susan?" Willy asked.

"She's already had a piece of the cake," Swede said. "They ate the first half before they left. And if you die, Susan has already said that she intends to adopt Gail."

"Great! Everybody loves Gail," Buck mumbled as they headed upstairs to the kitchen, "but who cares for Ol' Buckaroo, huh?"

Fifteen minutes later, Buck and Willy returned with the cake and coffee and a glass of milk. Swede took one bite and said, "This borders on being sinful. Absolutely sinful!"

"I reached Betty," Cool Hand said, "and the four of them have already set the little get-together for this Friday and she had already asked Cathy. They will all be here."

"Will Cathy bring a date?" Swede asked.

"I don't know," Cool Hand said. "Why?"

"I talked to Wayne and he and his partner will be in Gulfport Friday and Saturday night. Longer, he said, if they win enough. He would like to meet the gang. Why not make it a barbecue on Friday and get up Saturday morning and drive down. The fund will stand it. In fact, we should be able to increase it, after Wayne catches up. Ten will fit into the van if we all are friendly. The girls can work on their tans if they don't want to pull levers."

"Beats working in the yard," Willy said. He looked first at Cool Hand and said, "Call the girls back," and then to Swede and added, "call Mr. Gavin and tell him that we will be delighted to meet him and his friend. Also tell him how to best hide the whistle in the large coin cups."

"We have located enough of the machines already," Buck said. "After we meet with Wayne and his friend, we'll let him choose the casino and machines he wants to try and then let's make hay while the sun shines. I have a feeling that this will not last."

"One other thing, Buck," Willy said.

"Which is. . .?"

"We will have the barbecue at my house."

"Okay! But why?"

"It's nothing personal. Gail is a great cook, but you're not. And you don't know how to barbecue. But you can bring the beer."

"Ol' Buck don't get no respect."

**Friday, 6:30—Willy's patio:**

"Willy is such a good cook, Buck," Gail said. "He should get a patent on his barbecue sauce, don't you think?"

Willy smiled smugly and Buck said, "If you say so. I'll go check on the beer, to make sure it's properly iced down."

A horn sounded in the driveway and Jeannine came to the kitchen door and said, "See if Betty needs any help."

"Got her covered," Swede said.

"What must a girl do get a cold beer around here?" Cathy said as she and Betty walked up, followed by Swede and Cool Hand, both with hands full.

"Check with our resident barkeep," Gail said, pointing to Buck who was already reaching into the beer tub.

Buck took a small towel and wiped the can clean of ice and water. He said, "You do prefer a can. Right?"

"You bet. Betty said that you wanted to talk to me but she wouldn't tell me what it is about."

"We're going to Gulfport/Biloxi tomorrow, to try our hand with the slots. Did Betty invite you?"

"Yes. And she said for me bring a date if I wanted."

"That's great. Who's the lucky guy?"

"Just a friend. You'll get to meet him in a few minutes but I don't think he will be going to Gulfport with us. I think he has to work but it's just as well; he is all but engaged. I couldn't very well invite him on an overnight date."

"Why not?"

"Well, for starters, I am between jobs, or was until a few days ago. I can scarcely afford to spend my time gambling because I usually loose, especially on the slots, and I don't want to make it look as though I trying to stick James with a trip to a casino."

"James?"

"Watson. James Watson. We're just friends, nothing serious. We're just standbys for each other when we aren't seeing anyone in particular. It keeps us from looking like the proverbial fifth wheel. But of course, he is seeing someone in particular."

"Does he like to gamble?"

"Yes, and he does pretty well at it. Blackjack is his favorite."

"I'll personally invite him," Buck said. "And don't worry about the cost. I guarantee that unless you are plain wild, your gambling won't cost you anything. You and I will play the slots after we meet with a couple of Swede's old friends. He can play blackjack. That won't be a problem, will it?"

Cathy pulled the tab on the beer can which she held as a man and took a long drink from it and looked at her friend curiously and said, "No. No problem at all, if he wants to go."

"Good. We already have a room reserved in your name, at The Treasure Bay Hotel across from the casino. It used to be the Royal D'Iberville. You've stayed there before. We all have when we were working on Plant Watson."

"And you can afford to take ten people on a gambling party?" She asked raising the beer can up in toast and added, "You're doing better that I thought, Buck Huston. Much better!"

"Actually, there is likely to be only five people on the slots. Gail and the girls probably won't play too much and James, you say, plays blackjack. That is what I want to talk to you about. And this shouldn't be repeated, anywhere. And I do mean **anywhere!**"

"You know that I can keep my mouth shut, Buck," she said as she drained the can." Buck handed her a fresh on and explained how they had come to have the high frequency whistles and how they worked. By the time she had finished the second can she looked him in the eye and said, "Do you mean to tell me that you can actually make those machines spill their guts."

"Not every time, and then only on a few of them. We are going to meet with Wayne Gavin, who put us on to the device. We can't afford to overdo it for obvious reasons and we need to let him try it. We have financed our trips with it so far. If you work with me on it and do one more little favor that I will tell you about later, you can keep half of what you win. Deal?

"They know you and the other _'Musketeers'_, don't they? And you don't want them to know that you are winning?" She smiled, refused a third beer and said, "Why not? What can I loose. If we get caught. . .well, I've been tossed out of better places than casinos."

"I hear a car pulling into the driveway," Buck said. "Maybe it's James."

"I'm actually surprised he said that he would be here. As I said, he's almost engaged to some girl he has been dating. James and I are buddies, nothing more. His girl friend knows about me."

"Cathy," Gail said, "I believe your date is here. Did Buck tell you about the whistle? I couldn't believe that it works but it does."

James rounded the corner into the patio area and Cathy made the introductions and then added, "James, here, is in for a treat. Willy is doing the honors on the grill." Willy tipped an imaginary hat to the latest guest.

"I feel like a moocher," James said. "Cathy told me so many good things about Mr. Shaw's culinary skills and being single, living in an apartment, eating in restaurants as much as I do, I couldn't resist."

"There's always room and food for one more," Jeannine said, "but don't stroke the cook's ego too much. He'll start to believe it."

"Will you be able to go to Gulfport with us," Buck asked.

"I will talk to Carol, my fiancé, and see if she would like to drive down."

"It's official then," Cathy said. "You are getting married. That's the story of my life. Another one got away, one of the good ones."

"You are a good friend, Cathy," James said, "but If I had ever even been on your list, I would have had to have taken a number." His face flushed and he added, "That didn't come out the way I meant it." It was too late; you can't unring a bell. Everybody, Cathy included, was laughing. "What I meant to say was that there are a lot of guys who would stand in line to marry you, any day."

"Here," Swede said, handing James a beer. "There is only one thing to do when you have put you foot into your mouth and that is to quit trying to chew and just wash it down."

"You should know, Sweetie," Susan said. "Half of your diet consists of shoe leather."

"Well, we are not serving shoe leather tonight," Willy said. "Come and get it."

Cathy took James by the arm and said, looking at Betty, "Didn't I tell you that he was the sweetest thing alive. Too bad he wasn't in line."

"Don't say things like that, Cathy," James said. "There is such a thing as being too nice a guy."

Willy and Buck assumed the duties of waiter until everybody was seated and had food and drink. The several conversations around the large wooden table created a hum, not unlike that in a small restaurant. Some talked about work, others about hobbies and then about Cathy's new job. She said, "This group is the greatest; You get me get a job, throw a party for me and then invite me on a trip with you."

"And why don't you join us, James," Buck said. "The more the merrier."

"I will give Carol a call and if she can get away. If she can make it, we will join you sometime Saturday afternoon." He repeated, "If she can."

"You can use the room that's in my name," Cathy said. "I'll double up with? . . . whoever."

"With George and me," Betty said.

**Saturday, 2:00 PM—Lobby of Treasure Bay Hotel—Biloxi****:**

"Wayne," Swede began, "Meet my friends, Buck Huston, Willy Shaw, and Cool Hand Custer and Miss McBlevins."

"Nobody has a real name, I take it, except for the lady," Wayne said and smiled. "But I think I know her."

"From where?" Cathy asked. "I don't think we have ever met."

"We haven't actually met," Wayne said, "but I believe you underbid us on two jobs for dump trucks, coal hauling if I remember correctly. Anyway, meet my friend and partner Charles "C. T." Jackson."

"Jackson and Associates of Paducah?"

"One and the same."

"Small world," Cathy said. "Buck and Swede said that you are the one who invented the high frequency whistle device. How did you do it? How would you go about even starting to do that?"

"Invent?" Wayne said. "If anybody ever accused me of inventing anything it would have been one of my goofing-off schemes. That was what I was doing; I was bored. My boss left the whistle on the table where I was working, if playing a slot machine can be called working."

"Have you already tried it, Wayne?" Swede asked.

"Oh, yeah!" C. T. Said. "We stopped in Tunica and Choctaw."

"Choctaw?" Cathy asked.

"Well, Philadelphia," C. T. said. "We have already hit them for over $25000.00 but I kept getting the feeling that they were watching us. What we will get with this is small potatoes but I was raised on potatoes, not a lot of meat. I get the feeling that you guys are after something big, really big. We want in!"

Cathy seized upon the silence that fell over her benefactors: Buck, Swede, Willy and Cool Hand. She said, "You guys look as though you have been slapped away from the Sunday dinner table for breaking wind."

"For the contribution you have already made, you're entitled," Buck said. "We will talk later. But I assure you that your little wind instrument is the only thing making music so far. Cathy has some reconnaissance work to do. It's so sketchy that I haven't even discussed it with her. Nothing has been set or even discussed so far."

"Besides," Cathy said, "I haven't even had one pull on the slots yet."

"Tell you what," Willy said. "I will get the man at the desk to rent us a van, a 15 passenger type. There is a great seafood place at the other end of the beach, Barnaby's. It's not fancy but the food is great. What say we have a go at driving the canines from a few choice casinos for an hour or so and then meet here at. . .6:30?"

"Capital idea," Wayne said. "I have three machines listed at the Boom Town, one of them has a Jack-and-The-Beanstalk theme."

"Sounds like a sex toy," Cathy said and grinned.

"We had planned to start across the highway, at The Treasure Bay," Willy said. "You will get to meet the other ladies when we return. They are either shopping or on the beach."

"We're waiting here to catch another couple before they check in," Cool Hand said. They are going to use the room that Cathy has rented."

"I didn't rent it," she said. "You guys did. Until I met with you, I have been on the verge of a negative cash flow problem. I'll check the desk to see if they have slipped past us."

"We're off," Wayne said. "We have already hit them but we're not through yet. See you here at 6:30. And we want in!"

"Do you trust these guys, Swede?" Buck asked.

"Enough to let them in. In what, I don't know. If we do get lucky and stumble onto something we will never be able to pull it off without a group of cold-nerved dudes. And bear in mind; that bunch of Indians at the Star and the Moon know us like the back of their hands and would have us covered with a blanket—their blanket. Yeah, let 'em in. Of course, I don't really know C. T. but the two of them seem to have more brass than an army band, which is some of what we'll probably need."

"Speaking of letting people in, "Willy said, "I see James and. . .Carol? With luggage. Let's help them in."

The foursome was joined at the front entrance by Cathy as the automatic doors slid open, revealing the slightly weary fun-seekers. Cathy gave James a hug as Willy and Swede each picked up two pieces of their luggage. "Don't go to the desk," Cathy said, taking Carol by the arm. "We'll make a quick stop at the room to get my bag and then you are in our hands. We plan to hit a couple of casinos, grab a leisurely supper and then try it again. Do you feel lucky?"

"James?" Carol said, asking for approval.

"Go! Go!" James replied.

"You like blackjack, don't you, James?" Cool Hand asked. When James nodded, Cool Hand added, "It's not my game really, but I hear that The President Casino is popular with blackjackers." He smiled an apology for his flippant choice of names. It was now James' time to get date approval.

"Go! Go!" Carol belatedly echoed James previous urging.

"I'll go with James and George to The President Casino," Willy said.

"George?" James asked. "Who's George?"

Cool Hand held up a hand and said, "Give me the keys to the van and I will give you, Carol and Cathy a lift across the street. Walking across that highway can be dangerous."

"Do you have money for some quarters, Carol?" James asked, with almost an apology in his voice.

"She's good," Cathy said. "She's good. Besides, it's girl talk time anyway. You heard what she said. Go!"

"Come on, Jim-Boy," Willy said. "You're doomed!"

Buck stopped at the fiberglass cannon just outside the entrance to the Treasure Bay, an 18th century pirate ship motif. Pretending to tie his shoe lace, he said, "Cathy, you girls do not know me or Swede after we enter. Tell Carol that is a. . .superstition. . .or something. I think I know where two of the machines are. Just follow me. I'll play one coin in each of them and move on. You and Carol grab the machines if you can. I think that the two I have in mind are $1.00 machines. Here is a hundred. Buy some coins."

"Carol thinks that you are a little weird, Buck," Cathy said.

"Good. Just don't let her know about the whistle. The fewer who know, the better." He walked on ahead until he found a change wagon and purchased $50.00 in $1.00 coins and $50.00 in quarters. Cathy followed suit and divided her coins with Carol who was reluctant at first to take the money. Buck walked to the escalator and proceeded upstairs. When he found the two machines he was seeking, he played a coin in each, as discussed and continued to a machine a few feet away where he could sit and see the two girls.

The machines were the 3-coin type for the maximum payout. Cathy inserted three coins and got nothing. Carol hit for $10.00 on the first try. On the third try, Cathy's machine jackpotted. She exclaimed, "Son-of-a-b. . gun!" She smiled, signaled for the waitress, ordered a mixed drink, put three $1.00 coins onto her tray as a tip and lit up a cigarette. Carol was astounded and came to stand behind Cathy who told her to keep playing. Three pulls later, Carol's machine hit the jackpot. Buck walked to where they were playing and visually expressed an expletive and walked on to the end of the isle. The machine Cathy's was playing paid $12,000.00+ and Carol's paid $8,200.00.

"That's the first time I have ever won anything!" Carol said.

"Maybe Buck's superstition ploys work," Cathy said.

They continued to play until they had reinserted about $20 each into their machines and on signal from Buck followed him downstairs where they repeated the operation. On the second round, Cathy won $5,200.00 and Carol won $1,900.00+. The machines that Buck played provided only the secondary payoffs, netting him just over $400.00. Buck located Swede, who described his results as minimal, and Swede told him that he would meet them in about a half hour. He had two more machines he wanted to try. They then left the casino and walked back across the highway to the hotel. Carol was quite excited and was not ready to leave but did agree to after the urging by Cathy who assured her that they would return or go to another casino.

Back across the highway, at the hotel, Carol could contain it no longer and was on her cell phone telling James about her good luck. "I won over $10,000.00!" she exclaimed into the small electronic device, "and we're going back for more." Still expressing her delight with her version of the moon walk while listening to James who obviously was giving her advice. She said, "Yes, I know that it was pure luck and I may never win again but we are going to try to. See you in about an hour. Okay, half an hour. Love 'ya!"

"You do have something bigger in mind, don't you?" Cathy said, almost accusing him. "I wouldn't have had the discipline to quit and leave."

"Most likely, nothing will ever develop. It's just a thought that's worth checking into. The only thing we have so far, and that's thanks to Swede's friend, Wayne, is the whistle, a pretty good little goose that lays eggs. They may not be exactly golden but they're close. We have to be careful not kill it ourselves or allow it to die from over use."

"Wayne strikes me as being shrewd enough to play it that way," Cathy said, "but you can never tell."

"The others should be back by now," Buck said, dialing a number on his phone. "I need to locate Gail. "I don't have a key to our room." Cathy pulled the roll of bills from her bag and recounted them. "Where are you?. . .Okay, we'll be right on back." As Cathy again proudly waved the money, he smiled and said, "They're in the room and ready to go eat."

They walked through the lobby to the spacious courtyard behind the main building, containing three pools, one a bi-level, one a wading pool for small kids and the third was a large one, the main pool. There was also a hot tub with a deck. As usual, Buck had requested ground level rooms, often quipping that he would rather jump from a ground level room in case of a fire rather than from a fourth or fifth story room. Images from a TV news report of people jumping from upper level rooms of a burning hotel haunted him.

"Willy called and said that they are on their way," Jeannine said. "And the desk called to say that the van has been delivered. They charged it to the room."

"How did they do?" Carol asked, holding up her winnings.

"He said that James won eighteen," Jeannine said.

"Thousand?" Carol asked.

"No, just $18.00 but he and George did pretty well." She purposely did not elaborate.

"Who is not drinking?" Buck asked.

Carol held up a hand and said, "That would be me, for now."

"Good! You get to drive. Get the keys from the desk. You don't look old enough to drink anyway. What say we wait for the others in the lounge?"

The group was greeted at the door of the Buccaneer Lounge by Wayne and C. T. "We just arrived," Wayne said. No one answered when I called. Give everybody a round, Barkeep. Put it on my tab. We hit 'em pretty good but we left before we attracted any real attention."

Buck sat on the rear seat with Wayne and C. T. on the way to Barnaby's. Willy, Cool Hand and Swede occupied the next seat forward and James and girls took the other seats. With several conversations going simultaneously, none of the others overheard Buck explain what he admitted was less than a half-baked plan to Wayne and his friend, leaving nothing out and embellishing no aspect. He told them about the disk that he knew nothing about except that it had gotten his attention because it appeared to possibly concern the security of the banking seminar and just maybe the casinos. "As I said, you guys have the only game in town as we speak. Swede says that you can be counted on but we don't have anything yet."

"Besides the slots, what are you here for," Swede asked. "I thought you were just going to Tunica."

"We have a chance to buy a couple of practically new. . . "

"Less than a year old," C. T. said.

"Practically new panel trucks," Wayne continued. "The type used for ambulances, the ones with the large square bodies. It's a bank foreclosure. We can get them if we take possession by tomorrow. Then we plan to fish. Where is the disk? And how do you plan to get it?"

"We hope to be able to lift it from him and keep it long enough to copy it," Buck said. "The guy with the disk will be on a cruise in a few days, a week or so. It may have nothing but his laundry list on it."

"But you want to see it!" Wayne said. "Bad enough to hire?. . .Or are one of you guys a pickpocket? Burglar? Never mind. Will you be on the cruise?"

"All of us will," Willy said. "All except James and our current driver. They don't know anything about the plan, if you can call this a plan."

"A hundred million, you say?" Wayne said. "That kind of money, if you can even get close to it can you get you into trouble, even killed."

"Yes, it can," Cool Hand said. "Yes, it can."

"Put us down for two cabins on the boat, four people," Wayne said. "We'll get back to you with the names. This is just crazy enough to be fun."

"That's where I've seen you guys," C. T. said, looking at Cool Hand. "You were the one in the commercial that plays in the casinos."

"And one of the reasons we try to be low-profile when we use Wayne's neat little gimmick," Buck said.

"Your plan doesn't involve a snatch, grab and run with the money, does it?" Wayne said. "Because if it does, I want to be in the next state when you do it. Make that two states away."

"We're just trying to get the numbers," Buck said. "If we touch the money, it will be after they hand it to us. What are your plans with the two panel trucks?"

"Sell 'em, rent 'em. Whatever. Why?"

"Can you outfit them to look like, say a plumber's truck? An FTD flower truck? An ambulance? And can you make quick changes with them?"

Wayne said nothing as they pulled into the narrow parking lot at Barnaby's. He just glared at Buck and his new acquaintances. After the others had exited the van, Buck, Wayne and C. T. got out and stretched. "I'll tell you what", he said, ending the brief silence. "We'll get the vans and hold them. Let it be our little contribution. We can't loose. We'll still have the vans. But for now, let's eat. It's on me and C. T."


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Buck's van, I-20/59—Sunday afternoon—4:30 PM:**

"How did we do, Cool Hand?" Willy asked. "What is the total in the fund?"

"It's embarrassing," he said and smiled. "No, actually it's not. Even with expenses, we _'won'_ over $105,000.00. I feel like a bank robber. Well, I would if I had ever robbed a bank, I think. By the way, only our original fund, plus a modest addition, is in the bank. This is a _cash only_ fund."

"I know what you mean," Cathy said. "I have been actually looking out the back window since we left. It's a bit uncomfortable but I don't intend to give any of it back, to the casinos that is, but I do feel as though I have taken too much from you guys."

"Never feel guilty for taking money that is given to you, Cathy," Gail said. "We all pocketed some, close to $2,000.00 each. If you feel any guilt, forget about it. You earned it as much as anybody here. If you haven't, you will. You can be sure that this bunch will call on you to earn it."

"I don't feel as though I have _earned_ anything. It has been just like a vacation. So far everything has been fun. **Everything!** And as far as the extra little chore, that will be a cake walk. I don't really like little Joe but he is on the list of those to be checked out anyway. Betty's profile on him was dead on; he's a real prick but he's no problem.

"How did Wayne and C. T. do?" Swede asked. "I didn't get a chance to see them this morning."

"As you know, we divided the casinos that had machines on the list There are 13 in the area but we listed only 11 as having the right machines. We visited the Casino Magic, the Copa Casino, Treasure Bay, the Lady Luck and the Isle of Capri. I don't think we attracted any unusual attention. We didn't take more than one jackpot from each place, one per person per casino, that is. And we drew blanks on one, the Lady Luck. We'll double up on her the next time."

"That's further proof of what I have always said," Swede said.

"And what would that be?" Susan asked.

"Lady Luck is a bitch!"

"The problem," Buck said, "is that the ordinary guitar picker is on the wrong side of the odds when courting the _'Lady'_. Her father is Mr. Mathematical Odds."

"And what would her mother be called?" Gail asked. "Forget I asked that dumb question. I never quite understand the connections you make to philosophy, mathematics and the computer sciences. But how did the other set of pirates do? Wayne and C. T.. You know, I kind of liked those two."

Jeannine said, "That is probably because they have the same streak of larceny in their souls that the rogues we know and love have."

"I'm crushed," Swede said. "All this time the four of us thought we were chosen because we are handsome, suave and debonair. We are smart enough to know that we were chosen and not the other way around. That would make you girls the choosers and us the choosees. Right?"

"I'll say one thing for the four of you," Cathy said. "You are as full of it as anybody I have ever met and you girls are lucky to have them. I must admit to some envy. Did you talk to Wayne and C. T., Buck?"

"Briefly. They _'won' _more than we did."

"Weren't they concerned about running up the red flag?" Betty asked. "We divided our _'winnings'_ among nine people. Two people winning, what?. . .$50,000.00+ each. Didn't they agree to remain low-key?"

"I ask them about that and they said that it wasn't a problem. C. T. found a billfold in the parking lot. It belonged do some guy named Roberts. They used his identity to claim most of the winnings."

"Didn't they look at the picture on the. . .what? His driver's license?" Betty asked.

"I guess not," Buck said. "They had him paged and by chance, located him two casinos later and returned it to him. C. T., as a gesture of generosity, put $200.00 in it before he returned it."

"What did the guy say?" Susan asked. "I mean about the money. I know he expected it to be empty when he got it back."

"Something to the effect that if he knew where he lost it, he would take it back and loose it again. He didn't know he had lost it until he got it back. C. T.'s guilt induced gesture covered about what he had lost."

"Have they gone back to Kentucky yet?" Jeannine asked. "You said something about their picking up some trucks today."

"They said _'tomorrow'_ but they meant this '_tomorrow'_, or Monday. They went fishing today."

"There's no way they can scam the fish, is there?" Gail asked.

"I'll ask him the next time I talk to him," Swede said. "Our fishing luck could use an upgrade."

"Speaking of fishing," Cool Hand said, "what shape is your gear in, Willy?"

"Gathering dust, mostly. We have been spending most of our time elsewhere, as you know. It's just as well, though, for now. I am behind on a few chores around the house that I need to take care before the cruise."

"Same here," Buck said. "Speaking of which, the cruise that is; will you have any control over cabin assignments, Cool Hand?"

"I have to contact the cruise line tomorrow," Cathy said, offering an answer for Cool Hand. "I need to reserve two more cabins for Wayne and C. T. Interest has been high. We exceeded the usual number of sales, according to the bank's records. The cruise line people were delighted. Why do you ask?" "It will be _'convenient'_ if Swede's cabin is adjacent to Mr. Smith's and preferable if Wayne's and C. T.'s are at least one deck away. Actually, it doesn't matter which of our cabins is next to his."

"I have mentioned to the cruise line that there will be some VIPs from the bank aboard and that it would be '_proper'_ if they had choice cabins. In making those choices, I may be able to arrange it. I'll suggest the possibility of personality conflicts, or something. I'll let you know. For now, I intend to take a nap. You people have kept me up too late the last couple of nights but I loved every minute of it."

**Dockside—Port Canaveral—Saturday, just before start of cruise****:**

"Is everybody here?" Willy asked.

"If you ask Cathy," Susan said, "she would probably tell you that everybody and his brother is here."

"Tell me," Jeannine said, "are those people, the four VPs, as asshole at work as they have been here this afternoon? Don't they know that Cathy is on vacation. Well, maybe she is working but they could lighten up."

"What you see is what you get," Cool Hand said. "They are the _'Aristocracy' ,_ the_ ''Ruling class'_, both on company time in the public's eye. If you don't believe it, just ask them. Actually, you don't have to ask them, as you have observed. Our man, Joseph, is not as bad but he fits the pattern. They will have the lot of us running errands for them if we aren't careful. That is why I have been avoiding them. I intend to give them time to get to their cabins, which thanks to Cathy are away from ours."

"Except for my cabin," Swede said. "I don't have to be nice to them, though but I will. Cheer up, Cool Hand. Maybe they will get seasick."

"It's not likely. They usually make all of these cruises. They have their sea legs."

"Cathy just signaled us to come on aboard," Gail said and started across the level gangplank. "Maybe our favorite VPs are out of her hair, and ours, for a while."

"How is it going, Cathy?" Willy asked, giving her a hug.

"These people are like a herd of chickens."

"Flock!" Buck said.

"Whatever. You can wring a chicken's neck. Children would be better. You can threaten, even force them. But not this bunch. I need a drink."

"Is everybody in place?" Swede asked.

"Yes," Cathy said, pointing to an officer about five years younger than herself , "and see that young hunk? He is going to make an announcement that while aboard ship, all travel arrangements will be made by ship's company only. At least he is going to tell that to the block of passengers the bank arranged for. In less than an hour, they will belong to him and I will be on vacation. I hope."

"Don't relax too much, Cathy," Buck said. "By the way, does he have his computer with him."

"Oh, yes. I got my hands on it briefly but that was while assisting him to his cabin. There was no chance to see anything; too many prying eyes. I also checked him over but he didn't have the 3.5 inch disk on him. If he brought it aboard, it's probably in his luggage. There may be a problem in getting close to him because of Mrs. Hightower. Her husband is blind or just doesn't care."

"Be careful," Swede said. "What else have you learned about him?"

"He is a Bonanza fan. He has oak leaf clusters to prove it."

"What do you mean?" Buck ask. "Bonanza?"

"The TV western. You know, the one with Ben, Hoss, Hoss 1 and Hoss 2. Just about every conversation I have had with him includes at least one quote from that show. Can you imagine someone quoting line from some dumb TV series.?"

The entire group almost burst into laughter, even Susan who had done the same thing to Cool Hand. "It _is_ somewhat dorky, I suppose," she said.

Realizing that she had touched on a small nerve, however trivial, Cathy said, without as much as a flinch, inflection or hesitation, "It just doesn't have the intellectual impact of Star Trek." She held a straight face as long as she could but it gave way to a betraying grin.

"Let's check the pool area," Gail said. "They have a well stocked bar, I understand. They serve _Romulan Ale_, I think."

"In the square glasses, right?" Cathy said, holding up two thumbs. "Hey, I studied the classics too. I ain't no dummy."

"That leaves us to get the carry-on luggage to the cabins, guys," Willy said. "But that is why we are permitted to stay on the planet—to lift and carry heavy objects."

"Have you seen Wayne and C. T.?" Cool Hand asked. "Wayne is attired as some sort of dignitary from Asia. His accent is atrocious. C. T. is posing as his assistant, or something. I have no idea what they are up to. They pretended not to know me. Are there any machines they can hit aboard the ship?"

"I don't know," Swede said. "I'll try to find out. How is the old stomach holding up?"

"We haven't left dock, yet. But don't remind me."

"I do hate to remind you but we are already moving," Willy said. "Just keep you mind off of it. By the way, just what is Romulan Ale? Is there such a thing?"

"Who knows?" Buck said. "Did you bring all of your _'gear'_, Swede?"

"Everything. I can even do a Cambridge attack if the need arises. It's part of the kit. Let's join the ladies at poolside. Maybe we will find out if the Romulans have made the booze deliveries."

**Tuesday—Day Three—Main dining room****:**

"Any luck on getting the disk, Cathy," Buck asked. "I saw him using his laptop earlier this afternoon."

"No, but I was watching him myself, through my binoculars. I bought them at the ship's store." She held them up and smiled, "Buchnell, with a zoom lens. All I could see was his entry screen. He has a killer of a password. It must have 15 to 20 characters in it. I couldn't pick up on any of them but he has received and sent something, E-mails or downloads. I'll keep an eye on him but I'm not the only one. '_Lady'_ Hightower is around him more than she is with '_Lord'_ Hightower. Their behavior is, to say the least, unusual." "What we don't want to happen is for them to have a social/marital flair up," Buck said. "At least not until we get a look at that disk. And it may have nothing on it. Why do you have your binoculars with you, here, at supper? Pardon me, at dinner?"

"The skies are perfectly clear and the stars look great through these," she said, again holding the binoculars up as though they were a prize catch. She nodded her head and said, "At three o'clock, the Royals are being seated."

"You don't like them any more than Cool Hand, do you?" Willy said.

"It's an acquired level of fondness." She smiled and nodded to the VPs who were being seated at the Captain's table. "He has his laptop with him."

"Why don't you go over and speak to Mr. Smith, Cathy?" Buck said.

"Because I don't like the son-. . ." She stopped in mid word, paused for a moment and then continued. "That laptop is so cumbersome. He probably wishes he did not have it with him and just may ask good old Cathy to return it to his cabin. After all, she does work for the bank."

"Right!" Buck said. "Your best smile, girl. Swede, Susan, didn't you leave something in your cabin?"

"Her smile isn't what will do the trick," Gail said as Cathy walked up behind Joe and leaned forward just enough to get his attention. "We should take notes."

"This is as close as I will ever get to dining with the Captain," Cathy said, continuing to smile and nuzzling Joe with her breast. _'Lady'_ Hightower forced a chagrin like smile while her husband was less subtle in his expression of humor at his underling's position at the table. She straightened her stance and asked, "Did everybody get the right type and location of cabin? I just wanted to take this chance to speak to you guys. Everybody has been so busy; there's just so much to do aboard this ship."

"Why do you have the binoculars, Miss. . .?" one of the wives asked.

"Miss McBlevins," Joe said.

"She has just been hired at the bank and bless her heart, Mr. Hightower said, "She has been burdened with dealing with the likes of us, seeing to our needs and such."

"It has been my pleasure," Cathy said. "The binoculars? . .I have been bird watching. Whenever the ship gets close to an island, they will fly out close to the ship. They are beautiful! I meant to put them into my cabin but lost track of time. They _are_ in the way now so I decided to do it before we eat."

"Would you be dear and take my laptop back to my cabin for me, Cathy?" Joe asked.

"No problem," she said, again leaning over his shoulder to reach the computer. The maneuver did not escape the notice of Miss Hightower. She took three steps away from the table, turned and said. "Mr. Smith, I will need the key card to your cabin. I will return it shortly."

"I have two keys," he said. "I have the cabin to myself. You can return it anytime. Don't interrupt your dinner just for that."

Swede and Susan were already in their cabin, which adjoined Joe's by way of a pair of double doors, when she got there. She opened the door on Joe's side of the passage and said, "He didn't have the disk on him at the table," Cathy said, "but I do have the laptop, for what it's worth."

Swede looked at the machine and said, "Bingo! It's in the A drive. He removed it, started his own machine and said, "Give me a minute and I will have a copy. Start his machine, Cathy."

Both high-speed computers were booted within seconds. "See!" Cathy said. "Look at that password. We will never guess it unless you have some sort of hacking program that will do it. It has. . . " Counting, she said, "Fifteen, sixteen. . .seventeen characters."

"Look at these numbers!" Swede said. "They are dated. They look like. . .these are the numbers for the lotto slot machines. Put his disk back and let's get back to the dining room before too many people notice our absence. We can work on the password later. One more thing: Put his machine where he would most likely use it. There aren't many choices, especially if he is online."

"It would have be where I put it," Cathy said, "and it would be within the patch cord's length of the jack. Why?"

"I have a little device to install, a camera. It's resolution is not the best in the world."

"Can you get it into the overhead light?" Susan asked. "I'll take the cover off. Where is the tool kit.?"

"In the dresser, bottom drawer."

"Will you be able to retrieve the camera?" Cathy asked. "The cruise line people may find it later if you can't get into the cabin."

"No problem," Swede said, holding up a plain keylock card with an X marked on it with a felt tip. We have had keys to every cabin aboard since the second night. We'll get it back. Those little buggers are expensive. Pull the little wire out, the one on the camera, and hand it to me. Be careful with it; it's small." He attached the small device to the inside of the fixture with duck tape and said, "Look at my computer and tell me what you see."

"Joe's laptop," Susan said. "If only no one blocks the view, which is likely to happen. What else?"

"A couple of microphones and we're out of here."

"We should not arrive back in the dining room together," Susan said. "You go on ahead, Cathy."

"If the camera doesn't give you a good view, can't you use something called a keylock device?" Cathy asked.

"I could," Swede said, "but he would see it. He plugs and unplugs his machine into jacks all over the ship. How do you know about keylock hardware anyway?"

Cathy smiled and said, "I will run on ahead. We have taken more time than we should have."

When Swede and Susan arrived back at the dining room, Cathy was still at the Captain's table, speaking with some of the diners. Joe wasn't present but Mr. Hightower introduced her to the captain. She excused herself and started to walk off but then handed Joe's keylock card to Mrs. Hightower and said, "Give this to Mr. Smith. He may need it later."

"We have the 3.5," Swede said, "and it is just what we hoped it would be: the lotto numbers."

"He could have gotten them off the casino's website. Are they dated?"

"Yes, but I didn't look close enough to see how current they are," Swede said. "Then too, I don't know when the numbers change. Do you?"

"I'm not sure. We'll take a look at after we eat. You guys did a great job!"

"Yeah," Cool Hand said, "but if we aren't careful, those thieves are going to steal our money."

**Swede's cabin—8:30 P.M.****: ** "This shouldn't take long," Swede said. "We can do this and join the girls for the show. The files on the disk will run in a Lotus word processor. It is just a list of dates and numbers, for the six mega-payoff slots."

"Check the website," Willy said. "See if they are current, or why he would even keep this information. Anybody can get this information."

"Anybody can get _most_ of this," Swede said. "The last set of numbers does not appear on the casino website. **These are current! ** These can be played. . .now—until. . ? until midnight tomorrow. He received the last set sometimes after midnight, Sunday. Yes, it looks as though somebody has designs on our money and his name is Joseph!"

"This is definitely a problem, Huston!" Cool Hand said. "How did he get the numbers? He would have to be the person who wrote the program to be able to get the numbers out of the system."

"And to do that he would have to have help," Buck said. "Those people don't trust the programmers any more than they would us. We plan and talk about the possibilities of walking away with the big one and he apparently has put together the team to do it."

"Your mics are in place. Right?" Willy said.

"And they are sound activated," Swede said. "When the door to his cabin opens, we will get a video, and audio, of the action." Swede smiled and added, "I wonder if we will get an encore performance of his last video!"

"Well, let's let it rest for a while," Willy said. "Jeannine said that there are a couple of pretty good comedians in the show. We can still make it."

**Wednesday—Noon—Deckside Brunch****:**

Swede and Buck were overloading their plate when they spotted Wayne and C. T. in line, doing the same. "What's with the get-up, Wayne?" Swede asked, trying not to grin too broadly.

"He met this chick, on line," C. T. said, "and he told her that he was some sort of deposed prince from somewhere in Europe. He invited her and her friend to come along on the cruise."

"Yeah," Wayne said, "and it cost me the price of two tickets but it's about to pay off."

"What country are you supposed to be a prince of?" Buck asked.

"He doesn't know!" C. T. said, laughing. "He forgot what he told her. It's not important, though. Neither she nor her friend really cares; they are getting a free trip at his expense. With the whistle, he can afford it."

"She is to meet me here for lunch," Wayne said. "She and her friend. Don't give us away, Buddy."

**"Us!" **C. T. said..

"Us!" Wayne replied. "You have a case for her friend, C. T. and you know it."

"If I do anything" Swede said, "it will to be to take notes. What else is happening? What about the panel trucks?"

"They are in near new condition," Wayne said, "Chevrolet 30's. The Supreme Corporation in Griffin, Georgia made the bodies. We can use them for anything but for now, as you asked, we are holding them." He nodded toward two young females approaching the dining area and said, "Remember: My name is Prince Wahna. That's Wah' Nay!"

The two girls were whispering to each other as they approached but stopped when they thought Wayne had seen them. Wayne held up a piece of lettuce with a fork and said, speaking to his _manservant, _C. T.'s role in their little charade, "Leaves? I do not eat leaves. Jackson, did not the chef receive my request for succulent goat, basted in Llama milk?"

One of the girls placed her hand close to her friend's ear and said, "These two are so full of it. When are we going to tell them that we work for the Paducah police department?"

"When the cruise is over. Surely you don't expect me to come clean before then, do you? As crooked and paranoid as the two of them are, they may think that we are some sort of agents instead of just a pair of McCracken County clerks assigned to the Sheriff's Department. We may get another cruise out of it. They _are_ sort of cute, in a cloddish way."

"Prince Wahna," Buck said, forcing himself not to smile, "perhaps we can speak later. After the evening meal?"

"Yes, my good man," Wayne said. "Jackson, make the appointment!"

"There is Willy and Cool Hand," Swede said. "Grab us a table in some shade. I'll flag them down. You know, Wayne does sort of look like a. . .prince, or something."

"I suppose," Buck allowed, "if you like old movies and bad acting. And speaking of movies, his girl, his hope to be girl, bears a resemblance to that good looking female actress who played the part of the British secret agent's love interest, you know the one who walked up on the beach."

"A lot of them walked up on beaches in those movies," Swede said, "but you're right. She is a cuttie. They both are, and are probably smarter than Wayne and C. T. combined as well."

"Did we record anything, Willy?" Buck asked.

"Yes, we did," Willy replied, "but the stewards arrived to clean the cabin before we could play it. The timer indicated over 30 minutes of audio and video." He held up the CD and smiled. "Joseph had a couple of visitors. They came aboard when we docked this morning. I didn't get a look at them but I don't think they are native to the island."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER SEVEN **

**Swede's cabin—2:00P.M.**

Willy used one of the key lock cards that Swede earlier copied using one of his card copy/read procedures to enter Joseph's cabin. He closed the door behind him, and opened the adjoining passage to Swede's cabin where Buck and Swede were already booting the laptop. All of the cards issued to passengers in place of metal keys were basically the same. Access to individual cabins or to restricted areas for that matter was simply programmed into the card to match or bypass the guards built into the readers on the door locks.

To simplify matters, Swede had removed **all** of the "locks" on the cards that blocked access. The four cards he had prepared with his tool kit would probably open any key lock card entry aboard ship. They had no intention of using them except for the type of _'dire'_ emergency that was as hand, namely getting into Joseph's cabin. After all, the musketeers were convinced that he was ahead of them in the race to rob the casinos who had their money. Way, way ahead. "I'll stand at the door with the walkie-talkie," Willy said. "What is the range on this?"

"I've used them at just over two miles," Buck said. "Make sure you are on channel 4. We're in luck; Joe left his laptop. Set it up next to Swede's and boot it to the password screen, but before you do, get a few photos of the room before you touch anything just to make sure we leave it so that he finds everything just as he left it."

"Cool Hand wanted to see this, too," Swede said, "but he also wanted to get his feet on solid ground for a while and somebody had to keep an eye on Joseph. He and C. T. should be able to watch him easy enough; they have radios tuned to channel 4. They signed up to go on some tour with the girls in case Joseph did."

Wayne said, "He doesn't seem the type but then neither does your friend, Cool Hand. Come to think of it, my _'manservant'_, C. T., doesn't fit the bill either." He laughed and added, "C. T. is a good sport. Does your friend get seasick?"

"He says that he usually does," Buck said, "but so far on this trip, he has done just fine. The times he said he got sick was when he was on deep sea fishing boats. Maybe this large ship is the answer. "Willy, take a look at this. See if you recognize any of his visitors."

"I'll fast forward through it first," Swede said, "to get off-loads of the faces. Then we will listen to what they are saying."

"The small guy, the one with the bright sunvisor cap, is a passenger," Wayne said. "The big one. . .I'm not sure."

"I have all three of them," Swede said, "on floppy. That didn't take long."

"Your spy stuff works pretty well, Swede," Wayne said. "These are sharp images."

"Let's see if the sound matches and if he boots his machine where we can see his fingers doing the walking."

"Did you manage to get the 3.5?" Wayne asked. "What as on it?" His eyes opened like those of a kid on Christmas morning, opening presents in search of a special gift.

Swede paused the CD, accessed the A-drive and said, "Take a look."

Wayne's eyes grew even brighter and wider, refusing to blink. He said, "Restraint, my beating heart! Restraint." He stood from his sitting position on the edge of the bed and walked the few steps to the door and returned. "You did it! You did it!" He resumed his place on the bed from where he could view Swede's laptop. He then leaned over and gave Swede a hug. "You did it!"

"**We** did it," Swede said, "but the plan is not fully formulated.

"You don't want just the annutized payout, do you?"

"I feel that if we _'win'_ $100M," Buck said, "we should receive $100M. Don't you agree? Let's find out how our man Joseph plans to do it. He seems to be the genuine pro with the necessary resources, namely money and team experts."

"We're not completely without talent," Willy said. "We have the _pro_ by the gonads."

"You guys are men after my own heart," Wayne said. "Roll the flick. I think I am going to enjoy this even without overpriced popcorn and watered-down bellywash."

"I'll stay at the door," Willy said, "just in case prying eyes should appear. I can hear the voices on the disk well enough from here."

"I have given names to the players," Swede said. "We have the _Big Guy_; the passenger I have named _The Nerd. _I have been called that often enough. And there is the _Stranger_ and of course, _Little Joe."_

The sound of the cabin door started the video:

**Joe: **We are short of chairs, gentlemen. Use the bed or what ever. There is cold beer in the small refrigerator.

The sound of the refrigerator door opening and closing was followed by the poossshing sound of two pull tabs being removed from aluminum cans.

The "Big Guy" did not take one, only The Nerd and The Stranger.

**Stranger:** Do you have the numbers?

**Joe:** Yes, but more important, to us, is: Do you have the money you already owe us?

Three point eight million.

**Stranger:** We can make the transfer this afternoon. All we need are your account numbers. I assume there will be multiple accounts.

**Nerd:** Do you have the cash for the new set of numbers?

**Stranger:** You know that I did not bring that kind of money aboard. There is no way we could have gotten it past the inspectors and you would never be able to get off the ship with it. Why do you want it in cash, anyway? What is wrong with wiring it to an account? I thought you guys were bankers, modern bankers, computer people.

**Joe:** We have bankers. And we have enough computer skills. You do not want to know the risks we have taken already. You should make the payment to suit our needs, as agreed. Our little scheme could collapse and bring the house down.

**Stranger**: You don't give us much time to get to the casino and play the numbers. One hour is not long enough.

**Joe:** We all have little difficulties to deal with. I will only say that we do not get the numbers in as timely a manner as we would prefer either.

**Stranger:** Why don't you sell us the numbers to the big game? You could double your profits.

**Nerd:** Have you hear about the Drexel Three?

**Stranger:** Drexel! What is that

**Nerd: **They were three frat house cronies from Drexel University in is well known for its computer-science curriculum and these guys were obviously star students. They devised a scheme to scam horse races. One of them was a programmer for the company that processes bets for several U. S. tracks. He used his position to learn that the system was not operating in real time. That is, the results are not sent to the off-track betting locations until the fifth race They were placing bets on a series of races, six I believe. The odds of selecting all six were astronomical. They were of course betting on horses who had already won. With access to the system they were able to change their bets on the first four and had only to pick the winners in two races and they could have gotten away with if they had not been greedy. They wound up in trouble, jail, I think. There was an article about them in TIME magazine recently. The people we deal with have no jails. Trust me on this! You do not want to explain how you managed to guess 10 numbers out of 100 to them.

**Joe:** My young friend is right. We should take what we can for as long as we can and be happy. This way, we may live to spend it. And as for wanting cash for this payment; never discount the value and security of a well hidden sock, or a mattress, or whatever.

**Stranger:** Fine. We will meet as discussed for the transfer. The cash payment will be waiting for you when you leave the ship, back in Florida.

**Joe:** Till this afternoon.

The cabin door closed and finally the Big Guy said, "Do you really trust that man, Mr. Smith?"

Swede said, "I was beginning to wonder if that one could talk." He then put an index finger over his lips as though the people in the next cabin or those on the disk could hear them.

**Joe:** We don't have to trust him or his associates, whoever or wherever they are. I intend to deal squarely with them. They are cut from the same cloth as the people we are stealing from."

He nodded toward the large, swarthy complected man who had said nothing until the stranger left and added, without calling a name,

**Joe:** You should know this as well as anybody.

**Large Man: **And how. No pun intended.

**Joe:** Just have your number for the off-shore account ready. Don't give it to me or to anybody and don't write it down. If you do put in a computer, put in on a removable disk so that if anything ever goes south and some unpleasant people take your machine, it won't be there. This way, we don't have even to trust each other.

[The Nerd opened another beer ]

**Nerd:** Even that is risky. Be careful. [He walked to the door, opened it and turned added before leaving]. I'll see you gentlemen on the tour.

**Joe:** [Looking toward the large man] You did sign up for the tour, didn't you?

**Large Man: **Oh, yes. Normally, such activities bore me to tears but $950,000.00+ will make it an enjoyable evening. I may even pay attention to the tour guide. I may even shop with some of the others."

**Joe:** Don't forget, you have the same amount in cash waiting for you when we return to Florida. You will have to drive back to Mississippi."

**Large Man: **Oh, the hardships we must endure.

**Joe; **I need to check my mail. See you on the tour.

The door closed and Joe removed a beer from the refrigerator, opened it and booted his laptop."

"Watch him closely," Wayne said as the disk played. "We need that password."

"Get photos of everything in Joe's cabin and set his machine up next to Swede's," Buck said.

"He doesn't keyboard smoothly," Swede said, critiquing Joe's style. "His shoulder is blocking the view of the left side of the keyboard. The last three letters are J-O-E. I think! Willy, come take a look at this. I have it closed in on his hands and the keyboard."

Willy sat down in front of the side by side computers. "There are seventeen letters and/or numbers, you say," Willy mused. "The possible combinations are enormous. The last three are J-O-E?" It looks like it." He punched in a couple of commands and the view enlarged, showing the man at the laptop as well as the dresser and part of the cabin. He began making entries, using long strings. He mumbled, "Too many letters" after some and "not enough" after others.

Wayne, looking over his shoulder said, "Why not just let the computer do it for you? You know, zoom in on his hands and let it read the answer. I've seen computer people do plenty of times"

"My friend," Willy said, "you have contributed enormously to our efforts with your high frequency sound device. I doubt that we would be seriously considering further actions without the money. However, I feel that you have been watching too much television. Like the people who make movies, probably the same people, they make up those things to a large degree."

"Yeah," Swede said, "you need a worthwhile hobby, something that will benefit you in your day-to-day life, something that will enrich you intellectually and otherwise help your fellow man. Something like, say, playing slot machines. Look what it has done for us!"

Wayne smiled and said, "Your counsel is wisdom-based and I will consider it but in the meantime, I think I will have something cool to drink."

"Don't get Joe's beer," Buck said. "Get it from the fridge in here. We wouldn't want to be guilty of stealing anything. He's a banker; he may have them counted!"

Willy continued his entries and to mumble failure after every third or fourth try. He reran the part of the disk where Joe entered his password. Again, talking as much to himself as aloud he said, "Seventeen characters, the last three letters are J-O-E, Cathy says that he is a Bonanza fan. . .JOSEPHCARTWRIGHT. . .16 letters, doesn't end in JOE. Dang! Let me try some TV movie tactics. Which would be. . .?"

"The image in the mirror," Wayne said, pointing with the hand in which he held the beer can and spilling some on Willy, said. He added, "Dog gone it! I'm sorry."

Willy zoomed in on the reflection in the mirror, which he had not noticed. "No problem. Get me one of those if you will." Again mumbling and talking to himself he said, "I can see his right hand and a mirror of his left hand. Two right hands. ..ahh. . .his other right hand moved leaving only the long finger on the keys when he started. That finger is on the D-key. Does it start with a D and end with J-O-E. What did you say, Wayne?"

"Sorry about the beer. . ."

"No! No, the other thing. Dog gone it?" He entered DOGGONEITLITTLEJOE. Dang. Too many letters. I thought I had it." He made another entry and said, "You are a genius, Wayne. If you were a girl, I would kiss you."

"Well, I did find out about the whistle by accident. What did I do this time and not know about it?"

"DADGUMITLITTLEJOE is the answer!" Willy exclaimed. "You are a genius! It's all yours, Swede. Hand me the beer, Wayne and don't worry about spilling it."

"And don't worry about kissing me either; I have my own choice to do that."

Swede was almost singing. "Hand me the kit," he said. "Get the portable drive with the USB cord. We will have everything on his machine in a few minutes,"

"And," Willy said, toasting to Wayne, "we can read his mail."

"Doesn't he erase the messages after he reads them?" Wayne asked.

"Typically, that is, or it can be automatic," Swede said, but all I have to do is to set a switch and it remains on the server. It won't be erased unless **we** erase it. It will take a few minutes to copy this. Normally, I don't imbibe before 5:00 o'clock but this is an occasion. Hand me a beer, Wayne and I promise you that I don't do kisses but I will put in a good word with that babe you're hound dogging, under one condition."

"Which is?"

"The turban and accent have to go."

"That's an offer I can't refuse."

After the copying was complete, Swede said, "Check the photos, make sure that everything is exactly as we found it, even to the wrinkles on the bed. And lights—we didn't change any of them, did we? We're out of here!"

"What about the gear?" Willy asked. "The camera and the mics?"

"We have over a week to go," Buck said. "Let's leave them for now."

"I wonder what sort of '_scandal'_ the cruise line people would imagine if they found them?" Swede said. "It's almost worth the cost to find out, if we could find out."

"You are already acting like a man with money," Wayne said. "Personally, I would not leave them. I've been a poor boy all my life."

"Welcome to the club," Buck said. "The best history I have on my ancestors is that the start of my family stowed away on a prison ship just to get here."

"A prison ship?" Wayne asked.

"Well, during the potato famine in Ireland, I think in the 1820's," Buck said, "the ship, or ships were used to transport people in the prisons to this country. The whole country was starving or near to it, so I have heard. The law, or somebody bad was after him. It must have been a real bad one, the person after him, that is. He hid in a whiskey barrel to get aboard and rode the ship to Mobile."

"If anybody asks," Wayne said, "you descended from royalty as far as I am concerned."

"Even if our scheme goes south?"

"I like the south."

"We need to get with Cool Hand," Willy said, "to find out if the stranger is traveling with anybody else. They should be back from the tour/shopping excursion soon. I told him we would be in the pool or at the slots."

"Are there any machines on the list aboard , Wayne?" Swede asked.

"There were two on the list but I have found only one. I didn't play it but I do have the whistle. And you?"

"We didn't bring ours," Willy said. "We decided to concentrate on the disk and Little Joseph."

"That can be the key to your success," Buck said.

"It already is!" Wayne replied and smiled.

"I mean with the girls you are courting," Buck said. "I will convince her that you are a walking good luck charm. And I don't think she and her friend will believe for a minute that you are any more connected to royalty than I am."

"My ancestors came over on a boat just like yours did," he replied and smiled.

"In a whiskey barrel?" Willy asked.

"If you two humble personages can stop trying to out-poor mouth each other," Swede said, "and remember that your are on a luxury cruise ship, I will have one of the lovely ladies at the pool-side bar peel you a grape, a whole bunch of grapes."

"He's right, you know, Wayne said as they reached the pool area. "Guess who I am dinning with tonight?"

"At the Captain's table," Buck said, displaying an exaggerated Cheshire-cat smile. "Gail and I are dining with two lovely ladies from Kentucky." He waited for his friend to respond.

"How did you know that?"

"Cathy. She is friendly with one of the officers. In fact she worked with him in making cabin assignments for the people here through the bank's travel deal."

"Trade?" Wayne pleaded.

"Do you mean that you would give up a seat at the Captain's dining table, your place in the spotlight You, whose ancestors who came here on slave ships?"

"Screw the captain and his table!" came his reply with no hesitation. "What will it take? Name it!"

"You will owe me. **Big time!**"

"Deal! When will you set it up?"

"You've just been scamed, Wayne," Swede said. "Cathy and Gail took care of that this morning before they left on the tour. There is probably a message on your phone, with an apology for the change in plans, informing you that you have been rescheduled to dine with the captain at a later date."

"The grape peeler was not on duty," Willy said. "You will have to be satisfied with a tall drink with an umbrella in it. It's a fancy umbrella. And he has already talked with your lady friend, both of them in fact. He convinced them that the elaborate charade was part of a bet, a large bet."

"And yes," Buck said, "they thought it was silly, even high schoolish. . ."

"Grammar schoolish was the way they put it," Swede said. "But if you were willing, and able, was the way she put it, to spend this kind of money just to meet her. . .well, why not? Seriously, I think she likes you, a lot. The same is true for C. T. and her friend. That is, after all, what these cruises are all about—you know, getting together."

"After dining with the Captain," Buck said, "Gail and I plan to play the slots for a while. If you will drop off your whistle device, I will follow you and her around with it. Steer her to the right machine. Tell C. T. to do the same.""

"I think I will get my swim trunks and take a dip before they girls get back," Swede said. "Want to join me, Willy?"

"Why not?" Willy said. "Why don't you two join us?"

"After we finish the umbrella drinks," Buck said.

"What did you buy them? Wayne asked after Willy and Cool Hand had left the pool area.

"Buy who what?" Buck asked, somewhat confused.

"For the wedding, of course. To be more correct, the weddings.""

"What wedding. . .weddings? Or whose weddings?"

"Come on, Buck," Wayne chided. "You have to know about it." He was enjoying the baffled look on his new friend/partner's face. "You haven't even been invited, have you?"

"I have a wife who nails me with undue regularity about things that slip by me," Buck said. "And she never lets me forget it. What is going on? Before I kill you and toss you into the pool, tell me: what did I miss? ."

"Swede's and Cool Hand's wedding to Susan and Betty, this Saturday, here in the pool area. The captain will officiate. They kept it from you, didn't they? That's what Gail was talking about when she said that you never pay attention to anything."

"They told you? And not me?" What about Willy?"

"No, they didn't tell me. And Willy doesn't know either. They are going to razz the two of you."

"Why don't I know? What did I miss?"

"This is the first time you have talked about anything except the job," Wayne said. "This is fun. I can't believe you didn't pick up on it. They did everything but tell you. You had better get busy and get a couple of gifts. You and Willy definitely will not look cool, showing up empty-handed. I could tell you how I found out."

"You owe me," Buck said. "I gave up dining with three good looking females and opted instead to dine with a swabby."

"You are planning a job that can put us all in jeopardy and you let this slip by you," Wayne said, laughing. "I don't know about you. . ."

"One last chance, before I kill you!"

"Oh, since you put it that way. Cathy told me. She told me that If I told you and Willy, **she** would kill me. You know how females are about their little secrets.""

"Does Willy know?"

"I don't think so. I believe it was to have been kept from you two only."

"We will get even with them," Buck said. "No, not even. Ahead! We were even when they chose not to let me in on their happy event. They tell our wives but not us, huh? Oh, by the way, I didn't tell your girl friends that your were not royalty. In fact, I told them that you were a Duke."

A Duke? Of what?

"The _Duke of Paducah_."

"What is the Duke of Paducah? There is no such thing."

"There is, too," Buck said, "unless he is dead. He was a hill-billy singer or sorts and some people even thought he was funny. The title should blend well with your reputation of having a sense of humor."

"I am going to call it even. I now realize what you mean when you say that you don't bother to get even."


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Poolside—Aboard ship: Saturday 9:30 A.M.:**

"You're up early this morning, Cool Hand," Buck said. "What's the occasion? Something I should know about?"

"The girls have some activities planned. I thought Gail had told you."

"No," Buck replied, almost cat-and-mouse-like as Cathy walked up, "but I'll ask Cathy. She should know."

"Know what?" she asked.

"Why everybody is up this early on Saturday and why this area is so decorated. There isn't a burial at sea, is there?"

"Too many flowers," she said and took a drink from her coffee cup. "My guess is a wedding. Mornings are the best time for weddings."

"Why is that?" Cool Hand asked.

"If it doesn't work out," she said with a grin, "the whole day won't be wasted. Let's get some breakfast. The others are already seated."

"Where have you guys been?" Betty asked when they entered the dining room. "We ordered coffee for you. Breakfast is buffet. Eat hearty."

"It's not a last meal, is it?" Willy asked.

Buck smiled and said, "Tell me, Cool Hand. You saw the disk. What do you think about your man, Joe?"

"He has a set of balls that the navigator would envy."

"The boat navigator?" Betty asked. "What does he have to do with it? I thought you were referring to his plan."

"Just a nautical reference," Buck said. "Perhaps Cool Hand will explain it to you.

"He surprises me," Cool Hand said. "As I said, he obviously has more nerve than I or anybody else ever gave him credit for. He is resourceful and apparently well funded."

Swede, with an overloaded platter of bacon and eggs, pulled his chair from the table, sat down and said, "He also has an impressive team. At least, I'm impressed."

"Same here," Willy said. "He has in his possession the very information that I doubt that we would ever have been able to come up with, information absolutely vital for our plans."

"Yeah," Swede said, "but now we have it, too, thanks to Willy. And we can read his mail, even before he does."

"A small part I played," Willy said. "A small part, indeed. I was about to give up on the password when Wayne said what he did."

"Speaking of Wayne," Gail said, waving to him across the room, "I see that he has given up his silly little game and decided to quit wasting the opportunities afforded by this cruise. He and his friend are now acting as though they have their priorities straight."

"Where did he get that silly turban?" Jeannine asked. "And that accent? He has spent too much time watching old movies. Way too much."

"Be nice," Buck said, giving the high sign to them as they politely seated the objects of their efforts of the last several days. "Wayne and C. T. are vital to the plan."

"Just what is the plan?" Susan asked. "I mean, aside from the obvious?"

"All of the cogs aren't meshing yet," Buck replied. "And even whey they do, it is only a plan. Anybody can make a plan. It takes a team to make it work. A good team!"

"How did they do at the slots?" Betty asked.

"Their ladies are now convinced that Wayne and C. T. are absolute, genuine good luck charms," Buck said. "Both of them hit a jackpot but neither of them would play any after they won."

"I know who he is!" Cool Hand said.

"You know who _'who'_ is?" Gail asked.

"The Big Guy! We nicknamed him "Big Chief Wahoo", remember? He is one of the security guards at the Moon, one of the senior men. In fact, he was the one in the vault with us."

"I'm becoming more impressed with Little Joe by the minute," Buck said. "But who is the Nerd?"

"He looks vaguely familiar," Swede said. "I, of course don't know him, but I have seen that face somewhere. I just can't place it."

"Same here," Cool Hand said. "Maybe it will come to me. Who do you think is sending the numbers to him?"

"It would have to be somebody with knowledge and access to the program and the computer that runs the lotto slot games," Swede said. "Could the Nerd be the programmer who wrote the program."

"Unless he has another accomplice, **he** couldn't have sent it," Buck said. "He has been aboard since we have and the latest set came in Wednesday. Another is due tonight if he receives them as they are generated."

"Paying another accomplice, or several for that matter, would be no problem," Swede said. "They already have close to a $MIL each in some off-shore bank and the Stranger said that the same amount in cash is waiting for them when we return. There may have already been other payouts. We weren't aware of the one that they did hit in Atlantic City."

"And," Willy said, "I don't think that they are going to settle for taking 10% of the small payouts. They are paving the way for the big one. Buck and I will keep an eye on the e-mail for a day or two."

"Why Buck and you, Willy?" Jeannine asked. "Why not the full four?"

"Well," Buck said, "Willy and I have just one more official duty to perform today, after we pick up our tux. Cool Hand and Swede will be otherwise occupied, at least for part of the time." The blank expressions on all their faces betrayed them, in effect confessing to the charade they had been party to by. All that is, except Cathy whose expression remained the same as she continued to eat.

"Why do you need a tux?" Gail asked.

"Do you think," Willy said, "that William Edward Huston and Harrison Douglas Shaw would be so clodish as to show up at a friend's wedding as best men and not be properly attired? Such a breech of etiquette would be unspeakable."

"Even unforgivable," Buck said, looking down his nose at his friends. "Come, Mr. Shaw. We have but a short time for our final fitting."

"After you, Sir Huston," Willy said and leaned over the table and added, "did you guys think for a minute that you could keep this from us? The lot of you, **all** of you, are busted! And you have one coming. Maybe more than one."

"You wouldn't intimidate the innocent flower girl, now would you?" Cathy asked. "I thought I would see how weddings look when the preacher isn't blocking the view."

"Did you check the Web for winners of the lotto slot games, Willy?" Buck asked.

"Yeah. It was at Harrah's in Las Vegas, just before midnight, Wednesday. It was our boy, Little Joe, alright. He could get rich doing what he is doing, selling the numbers to the small game."

"He is getting rich. And to me, there are no small games, not where the lotto games are concerned. We have to get off this boat and get something going before he and his crew spoil it for us."

"We can't," Willy said, "but neither can he. He's on the boat as well. What are you getting Swede and Cool Hand for their wedding?"

"A toaster. I found one in the gift shop. A toaster, of all things. I wouldn't have thought that you could get such an item on a cruise ship. A set of sterling silver will be at their apartment when get home. I ordered it _'before'_ we left. Those sneaky rascals; they were not even going to tell us. What about you?"

"A frying pan. I'll get on the internet and have something waiting for them back home. Whatever I can find, it also will have already been ordered, of course. Whose apartment are you sending the silverware, _'his or hers'?"_

"_Hers. _Well, both _'hers'_. Our guys wouldn't know what to do with silverware. I don't know what Gail got them. They are also on the list for not telling us."

"What do you plan to do to get even for not telling us?

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They will wait for months for the other shoe to drop. Have you found anything about the next commercial to be done at the Star and the Moon?"

"Not yet," Willy replied as they entered the tailor's shipboard eporium. "I'll start the search in earnest tonight. Wayne said that he was searching also."

"We need to get Wayne and C. T. involved," Buck said, "and what we need is some information about who is handling that for the casino."

"We're here to pick up the tuxedos for Huston and Shaw," Willy said to the attractive clerk behind the counter.

"Oh, yes," she replied. "Usually, attire for shipboard weddings is more or less casual. Most passengers dress only for certain dining events, rarely for weddings, but then, weddings are rare, at lease on cruises. In fact, you two are the only ones who have rented tuxedos. These are for the wedding, aren't they? Grooms or best men?"

"Best men, definitely!" Willy replied and took the pair of suits from the hanger next to the counter. "Charge it to this card," he added, handing his room key-card to her, the one issued to him when he boarded. One of the cards prepared by Swede probably would have raised more than a few questions.

"We spend money as though it belongs to somebody else," Buck said, taking one of the suits from Willy.

"It does belong to somebody else," Willy said as they exited the shop, "or it did. Do you know anybody at either the Star or the Moon who may be involved in the arrangements for the next commercial?"

"We both have met the people," Buck replied, "but names, I cannot come up with. All four of us have met them. Maybe Swede or Cool Hand will have a clue. Let's keep an eye out for any mention of it on the Net. For now, though, we must pay our respects to Gail and Jeannine for successfully eradicating bachelorhood from our foursome."

"They will thank us for it," Willy said.

"_Us?" _Buck said, opening the door to his cabin. "Betty and Susan will thank Gail and Jeannine, maybe. Maybe not. Those two are no better catches than we were. They may thank us for the toaster and frying pan but Swede and Cool Hand are probably in a state of confusion about now. I know I was when I got married. See you in a few minutes."

"What time is the big event, anyway?" Willy asked. "I thought we would be in port at some island. They're all around."

"About noon," Buck said, standing in the doorway, "as soon as the captain can leave the bridge. And we are about to dock as we speak. Were all of the bank's wheel's invited?"

"Yes, and of course, Little Joe. And to the reception after the evening meal."

**Poolside: Saturday, Noon:**

The two nervous grooms survived the ceremony, which was flawless in every respect except for when the captain asked if there was any person, or persons, present who knew of any reason why the couples before him should not be joined in marriage. No one said anything but both Swede and Cool Hand could not resist the urge to turn their eyes toward their best men/best friends, hold their breath and hope they said nothing, as did the captain and the entire party.

Although it was in reality a non-event, nobody expected it and all were silent for several seconds. Then the laughter began. As soon as it died down and the captain regained his composure, Buck said to Gail, "Stop pinching me, girl!" The captain lost control of the ceremony again but managed to smile. The only two who did not crack a smile were Buck and Willy.

Joe Smith and the four VPs made their courtesy appearance before the couples left the area. They were properly polite but wanted their presence to be viewed as a favor on their part and that they had precious little time for such events but since it was the wedding of a valued employee, they felt obligated and they congratulated both couples.

Mr. Hightower, with his wife's arm over his his, said, "It was a lovely ceremony, Joseph." He gave a condescending smile and added, "I assume it was legal?"

"Oh, yeah," Cathy said. "It was legal. I have seen enough of them to know. Trust me on this." When Joseph and the four VPs walked away, Cathy added, "Jerks! I know; be nice!"

"Where is your sailor, Cathy?" Willy asked.

"He is on duty at the present but he is escorting a group ashore for some shopping in about an hour. Then he will have time for a quick drink."

"Can officers fraternize with passengers?" Jeannine asked.

"Officially," Cathy said, "I am part of the crew, having worked with him in making cabin assignments. At least, that's going to be our story in case the wrong people ask."

"I though you were going to nail us for a second, Buck," Swede said.

"Same here," Cool Hand said. "Say, has anybody ever stopped a wedding at that point with an objection."

"I don't think so," Buck said. "The though never occurred to me."

"Or to me," Willy added.

"And this one wouldn't have been, either," Gail said. "I would have killed him. **Both** of them. Get out of those monkey suits. The two of you are going shopping."

Somebody has to keep an eye on our boy, Little Joe," Willy said.

"He is going on the shopping excursion, escorting Mrs. Hightower," Jeannine said. "We will all keep an eye on him. And her! Wayne is remaining aboard to watch things here. Relax."

"She's right, you know," Willy said, as they started back to their cabins to change. "These things are a bit warm. Besides, we must look like a couple of penguins. I suspect, though, that that is part of the plan, isn't it?"

"I need to guard against over planning. Plans are easy. In the planning stages, all parts fit perfectly and everybody does what they are supposed to do. The problem is that the Devil will be waiting around every corner and most of the time, he doesn't even wait for you to get to the corner. He just jumps up."

"Don't think of it as **over** planning," Willy said. "Think of it as contingency thinking, little extras that will give us a way out if we need it."

"If you think about it, really think about it, we must be insane to even think we can do what we are trying."

"That's my line, Buck," Willy said. "I'm the worrier. With what we have right now, we could probably take them for a big pot. However, to stay in character, I would have to add that they, the Indians, would scalp us before we could spend a dime of it."

"What I have in mind, and I think that you and our _'newlywed'_ friends and partners already know, is something our nemesis, Little Joe, also has in mind. And that is a very large, overstuffed sock that nobody knows about."

"That would take discipline, real discipline," Willy said, opening the door to his cabin, "not to overspend. And how many people do we already have involved? Even counting us couples as one, we number: four; plus Cathy; Wayne and C. T. That's seven and in this case, that is not a lucky number."

"And we will probably need at least a couple more," Buck said. "We don't have everything we need, yet. Little Joe seems to, though. The ability to keep a secret is inversely proportional to the number of people who know about it."

"I hope you just made that up."

"Why?"

"I've heard it before. I've also heard that when money is involved, that number should be squared. What do you do for wild butterflies the size of pigeons in your stomach?"

"Go shopping," Buck said, "like we were told to do. It may rebuild our confidence and courage. That may help since we are wise enough to reconsider our plan."

"Maybe some of the local cuisine will calm the pigeons."

"Is it safer than the water?" Buck asked. "See you on the dock."

**Pool deck dining room—8:00 P.M. (Reception)****: ** "Drink hearty," Willy said as guests, well-wishers, fun-seekers and booze-hounds wandered into the area in the rear of the dining room, "but you get only one kiss per guest from the brides."

"What about from the good-looking grooms?" a slightly inebriated blond asked.

"As long as you don't drag them back to your cabin, they're fair game," Cathy said. "Feel free! That goes for every guy aboard who doesn't have a girl on his arm."

"Who are you?" the blond asked. "You're not one of the brides."

"I'm the designated bouncer, Blondie," Cathy said. "Let me guide you to the bar. It's more your domain. You will be safer there."

Willy tipped an imaginary hat to Cathy, turned to Buck and said, "Guys are easy to deal with but some of these gals. . .well, thank goodness, Cathy is here!"

"What did you get the happy couples, Willy?" Buck asked.

"You are in the middle of it. This reception."

"Maybe you will get a discount due to volume."

"You should hope," Gail said as she walked past. "You are picking up half of it. This is for the little stunt you two pulled during the ceremony. Excuse me, I'm the relief bartender and barmaid. They are about to overwhelm Jeannine. Mingle!"

"We had nothing to do with whatever she is talking about," Buck said. Gail looked at the two men and shook her head.

"I talked with Wayne and C. T.," Willy said, "and they suggested we limit contact with them for the rest of the cruise and he said that they are being especially careful not to let the big Indian observe or take note of any connection between them and us."

"They were low-key enough until they became escorts for those two babes," Buck said. "Now, a lot of people will see them and probably remember them. I talked with Wayne, myself, just after the wedding and he said that he can make the necessary alterations to the vans to be able to conceal at least thirty bundles, no problem."

"Have Swede and Cool Hand make the cabin reassignments official?" Willy asked. "Betty and Susan did. Swede will stay where he is, next to Joe's cabin. The camera and mikes are still in place and we are recording their every move in Joe's cabin. We need to watch them closely; they're ahead of us on this."

"The main thing is the set of numbers," Willy said. "We should get a new set tonight and two more: one Tuesday and another next Friday. After next Tuesday, no later than, say Thursday, we need to remove them. After that, we will have only his e-mail to keep us informed of any plans he has."

"I gave Wayne copies of the pictures you took of the armored cars," Buck said. "He said that the filming company has already put out preliminary notices on the Web for bids."

"Don't those companies have all that stuff?" Willy asked.

"It's cheaper to rent rather than buy what they don't have, and according to Wayne, they don't have armored trucks or cars as part of their property. The one who made the last commercial had to pay rent for almost a month. The filming companies have to bid on the job to the casino and some article on the Web said that the rental for the truck was a major expense."

"And '_Wayne, C. T. and Company'_ is going to make them a deal they can't afford to turn down. Right?"

"He said that four filming companies bid on the last one and he has the name of all of them. The price he will make the trucks available for will be so low that the chances of his trucks being selected are very good. Some '_aspiring actors'_ will be available to the filming companies and will assume responsibility for the trucks only for the possibility of being in the commercial."

"Don't they have to belong to some Actor's Guild or something?" Willy asked. "It's like a union, I thought. The casino caught a small amount of flak for using us. Remember?"

"Those two are into this, 100%," Buck said. "They already have the framework for a theatrical group, bogus of course. The _'Gavin Group'_ or _'The Paducah Players'_ are a couple of names Wayne mentioned. By coincidence, there were a couple of groups with similar names a few years ago, part of some government program primarily for minorities. Credentials will be no problem. The two babes they are hound dogging work for the county where they live and have offered to help get the necessary licenses so they can make legitimate bids. They want to be actresses, too."

"Are they in on the scam?" Willy asked. "Do they know that the deal is bogus?"

"I didn't ask. I can claim credible innocence not knowing. If I had to bet, my money would be on our Kentucky partners' inability to get through a day without conning somebody."


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER NINE**

**Wednesday—9:00 A.M.—Dining room:**

"Has our boy had any more interesting visitors?" Buck asked as he moved down the buffet line, trying to resist the urge to overload his plate.

"Just one brief interlude which I fast-forwarded through," Swede said. "Nothing of interest to us, really. This island we are visiting today is our last stop, isn't it?"

"I think so. The special here is. . .?"

"Duty-free purchases," Swede said. "Wayne wants to pick up a laptop and asked me to help him select it. The one he has will do everything he needs to do but he wants the latest, fastest, etc, etc. It's for the _'theater'_ group or whatever he is planning to form. He wants two computers, actually. One for Shirley and one for Mary."

"Who are Shirley and Mary?" Buck asked. "The two new girl friends? Right?"

"Yes, Shirley Hartlett and Mary Beth, no last name for her. They are going to be _'instrumental'_ in forming the group."

"What he and C. T. had better do is marry them," Buck said. "That way, they can't be forced to testify against them. Or us! And make sure that he has or will get a high quality printer and scanner."

Swede laughed and said, "That is what Susan and Betty said was the reason Cool Hand and I married them."

"Speaking of whom," Buck said, as the other six entered the dining room. "What was their reason?"

"We were too afraid that they would say no," Swede said, "that we didn't ask."

"We?" Buck asked. "Did both of you propose at the same time?"

"It was during a coversation the four of us were having and the plan was to ask them together so that they wouldn't say no," Swede said, trying to answer the question before Susan and Betty got close enough to hear him. He turned to them, extending a platter to each and said, "You people are going to get bed sores. We have shopping to do. The boat will be docked before we can finish eating."

"I hate early risers," Susan said, "with a passion, unless of course they give back rubs and make coffee."

"I'll get the coffee," Buck said. "He means well. He just isn't completely trained yet."

After all had consumed too much for breakfast, Gail suggested that they take a brisk walk around the deck. "I'll take you up on that," Cool Hand said, "if it can be just a walk. I don't do brisk before noon and I can't believe that I haven't been sick a single day." He knocked on the table. "Everything is going perfectly."

"What is it that you always say, Buck?" Betty asked. "That the Devil will jump up just when you least expect him?"

"The secrete," Willy said, "is to expect him to jump up all the time. That way, you are always ready for him."

"We may be looking him straight in the eye and not know it," Buck said "With this crew, we may at least have him outnumbered but our number is one short. Where's Cathy?"

"She is dining with the ship's company," Jeannine said, "or at least with a certain member of it. I doubt that she will go ashore at this stop. If she does, she probably won't be with us."

"We need to get the whole group together for a final little talk, Wayne and C. T. included," Buck said, "just to go over the preliminary plan. We may not have another chance to discuss it."

"What about their girls?" Gail asked. "They aren't part of any plan, are they."

"No, not that they, or we, are aware of," Buck said.

"They're in on it and don't know it," Susan said, "right? There's a show worth seeing tonight at eight, in the main auditorium. I'll make plans for the six of us to see it, without you guys or Wayne and C. T. The meeting is primarily for Wayne and C. T., right? We will excuse ourselves."

"Yes, and this may be the last chance we have for some time,"" Buck said as he and Gail got up from the table, leaving the others to finish their coffee. At the doorway, he said, as though it was something that he did not want his friends to hear, "Did you know that the grooms double-teamed their brides when they proposed? Was that supposed to make it harder for the girls to refuse, or easier for them to bear the rejection if they did? I wonder what would have happened if only one had accepted.

"Knowing them, it was probably a package deal," Gail said, "but what they don't know is that they were manipulated into the situation. Guys are clueless. **Sooo. . **.clueless. Pick up the pace; you have been packing away too many groceries."

"What do you think of Wayne and C. T.? You have been around them enough to form an opinion."

"It will sound like a list but I don't know how to describe them otherwise. First, they are charming, to a fault at times. They are friendly, outgoing, accommodating, disarmingly clever. . .their antics are designed to disguise an intelligence they hold in reserve, pretty much the way the _'Musketeers'_ behave most of the time. I believe that they have had to hustle more for what they have than the four of you have." She turned to Buck and urged him to keep up and added, "You accidently found about the wedding, the same way you stumbled onto the numbers and the whistle, didn't you. Dumb luck!"

"It's better sometimes to be lucky than smart or good," Buck said, beginning to breath a little harder. "That way, you don't have to train so hard. So you think that Wayne and C. T. fit into our group?"

"Like two more peas in the same pod!" Gail said as they completed the first lap on the deck. The others fell into line as they passed and Gail added, "We have been telling you jocks that you need to come with us to the aerobic classes. The four of you, get in front and don't even think of holding us up.!"

"You guys are behind one lap," Buck said, trying to hide his slightly heavy breathing. "Look sharp, Cool Hand; I see a couple of your VPs. I don't know them except for Joe."

"Their majesties, Limbaugh and Breedlove," Cool Hand said and when they passed them, said as sharply and friendly as he could, "Good morning, Mr. Limbaugh, Mr. Breedlove."

"It looks like a good morning for a walk, George," one of them replied and gave his usual grin of superiority.

"Cheer up, Cool Hand," Swede said. "If all this works out, you will be able to quit you job at the bank. And one other little tid-bit; I have the account numbers for the off-shore accounts. They are on his hard drive, all four of them. I couldn't believe it! Would you like to consider trying to connect the other three to Little Joe?"

"At times, my friend, you have the most pleasant thoughts. Hold on to that one."

"Move it, guys," Gail urged from the rear. "You are holding us up!"

"Is this what being married is like ?" Swede asked.

"It gets worse," Willy said. "It's like being in the Army and wives are drill sergeants. All of them can give orders to any husband, not just their own. It's some sort of law, I think."

Three laps later, they stopped at Susans order to rest. She said, "We have just about enough time to shower and catch the first shuttle into the shopping area. This will be our last chance."

"You are to meet Wayne and C. T. and look for computers, aren't you, Swede?" Willy asked.

"Yes. He said that they would meet me at the first stop the shuttle makes, wherever that is. Want to come along?" "Why don't we all go?" Willy said. "That way we can have our little meeting with them and reduce Wayne's paranoia about somebody making a connection between us and them. We'll shop for computers and the girls can shop for. . .whatever."

"And we can catch the show Susan mentioned," Buck said. "And maybe they will lighten up on the next workout."

**Ashore at sidewalk cafe—1:30 P. M.****:**

"Are you pleased with the price of the laptops, Wayne," Willy asked. "You saved over two hundred apeice on them."

"Oh, yeah," he replied, patting the box sitting at his feet, "and the printer/scanner/ fax/copier as well. I wasn't aware that you could get all four in one machine. Will this little jewel do a good enough job?"

"It will do just fine," Swede said. "Of course, you could have purchased it back home. You just wouldn't have gotten as good a price."

"You saw the commercial, the CD copy of our version of it, right?" Buck said. Wayne and C. T. nodded. "Do you agree with Swede's numbers?"

"Eight stacks, 5,000 bills each, shrink-wrapped together," Wayne said, looking at a postum sticker. "The dimensions are, approximately, 23" x 24½" x 5¼". We need 25 of them."

"Correct," Buck said, "and on the top of each stack we need Ben's picture. On the bottom of each stack should be the back of that picture and those pictures should be sized to fit into a billfold."

"That's a total of 200 pictures and 200 more of the back side," C. T. said. "We will pick up the paper on the way back home; we don't want the hassle of going through the airports with the machine, so we are going to rent a car and drive."

"We also want to try to get a look at the courier who is supposed to bring the money to our counterparts," Wayne said.

"Keep your distance," Cool Hand said. "Do you have a camera, with a long lens?"

"I can go back to the electronic store and get one," Wayne said. "We plan to make a stop in Tunica on the return trip, anyway. The cost isn't a problem."

"Speaking of pictures," Cool Hand said, "I called a friend at the bank and asked him to fax me a copy of an article in one of my computer magazines. There is a picture of the guy who was involved in the security seminar that keeps running through my mind."

"And he reminds you of the Nerd? Right," Swede said. "If it is who I think it is, our man, Little Joe, has indeed put together an impressive team."

"And that would be. . . ?" Buck asked.

"The programmer who wrote the program for the lotto-slot games!" Swede and Cool Hand said, almost in unison. "**If** it is the same person."

"And you _think_ it is?" Willy said.

"We should know by about 9:00 o'clock tonight," Cool Hand said. "Of course, that won't change anything. It will just answer one of our questions. If it is the same guy, we are in competition with a team of pros, **real** pros."

"Not just a compelition," Buck said, "but in all probability, a race as well."

"Is it a race we can win?" C. T. asked. "Second place is no good. Second place is the same as last, you know."

"We're going to win!" Buck said.

"Then you have it all worked out?" Swede said.

"There are too many holes in the plan," Buck said, "holes that our competition, Little Joe, seems to have filled in. He has, or could possibly have, the programmer who wrote the program. That is how they are getting the numbers. Swede, would the program, such a program that the casino people would use allow somebody to take the numbers out without being noticed?"

"It's not likely," Swede said. "There is too much money involved not to have several people involved, all of whom would be competent enough to spot such an intrusion."

"Is it not likely," Willy asked, "or impossible?"

"There could be a back door into the system and since they are in fact getting the numbers before the games are being played, there probably is. The other person sending the numbers to Joe is likely the other check against such an intrusion. If the Nerd is who I think he is and he has a confederate, the machine is, on signal, revealing the numbers to them as soon as they are generated."

"And this super genius nerd would be. . .?" Willy asked.

"Bryant," Swede said. "Kenneth Bryant."

"Bryant," Cool Hand said. "It's familar, but I can't be sure."

"Cathy worked with her sailor boy friend, the lieutenant," Buck said, "in making cabin assignments. Maybe she can find out."

"You said that there were too many holes in the plan to share it with us," Wayne said. "Pretend that they have been filled in and paved over."

"Two shots," Buck said. "One: We simply play the numbers and take the money. It's big money, bigger than anything any of us have. They will make the show, as shown in the commercial, of placing the full amount, $100M into an armored car/truck. Normally, there wouldn't be an armored car handy but they will run that part of the commercial when they announce the fact that somebody has won the big one. You can be sure of that unless the winner simply refuses to allow them to use his,or her, name and likeness. Of course, we know that the money they rolled through the casino in the commercial was stage money. In the shrink wrap, it looked real enough, but was worthless."

"You plan to pull a switch!" C. T. said. "But how?"

"One of the holes," Buck said. "One that our man, Joe, apparently has solved. He has a top man in security, who can get into the vault and make the switch."

"Good for the other team," Cool Hand said, "but that doesn't help us.

"Can he make the switch with the vault being under constant video surveillance?" Willy asked.

"I don't know," Buck said. "Maybe they still have a few holes to fill in as well."

"That is where the trucks come, isn't it?" Wayne said, smiling. "While they are taping the next commercial. Right?"

"Like I said," Buck said, "it has holes. First, we have to get Cool Hand and/or Swede selected to be in the commercial, no small accomplishment. They were there before so they know what the place looks like. The elevator is small, as you know; just enough room for the dolly and two people. After they finished taping in the vault, the guard closed the vault and came up to the main floor, leaving Cool Hand and Swede there with the money."

"Yeah," Swede said, "the stage money, the phony stuff. The real stuff was in the vault, which requires his security card and his fingerprint to open. And remember, they will be watching us and the money on video plus we have to come up the elevator past the armed guards. And what if he, the guard, doesn't leave us in the vault area. He received a call, I think, the last time."

"We simply forget Plan B and go back to Plan A, the numbers."

"And, how," Wayne said, "will they be able to switch the phony bills that I will have in the truck with the real money in, what a 50' deep vault?"

"Remember, on the tape," Buck said, "when the video of the vault went blank? Well, not blank but they couldn't see anything?"

"Yeah," Cool Hand said, "one of the movie lamps was shining into the lense but there are **two** cameras, one pans the area and the other is steady on the vault door, giving a constant view of the vault door."

"We have to get an inductive pick-up planted in the cable trays in the casino," Buck said, one that will pick up the video coming from the vault."

"Can we do that?" Willy asked.

"I have a lead on that," Buck replied. "It will take some cash and a little cloak and dagger but I believe it can be had."

"Okay," Willy said. "You have a view of the vault, but so do they."

"As soon as the last guard leaves the vault, position, or reposition the light to blind the camera." Cool Hand held up two fingers and shook them to remind of the second camera but before he spoke, Buck continued, "And use one of the reflectors to blind the second one. As soon as the camera goes blank, I will signal."

"From one of Wayne's vans," Cool Hand said, "in the parking lot via miniature radios. We have those already."

"**Our** vans!" Wayne said. "**OUR** vans!"

"I will be in the parking lot but I'm not sure yet which vehicle to us. Wedge the elevator doors, use the copy of the security card—the card or one of the cards that Swede will produce using the Cambridge attack."

"We will still need the fingerprint of whoever is or will have been in the vault two minutes prior," Cool Hand said.

"The cards they use are chip based," Swede said. "They are not biometric; it doesn't read moisture of the skin. This I know! All we need is to get our hands on one of the cards for just a few minutes and their fingerprints, which we can duplicate onto latex."

"You open the vault door," Buck said, "and roll the real money out of the vault and replace it with the stage money—their stage money. You don't even _look_ at the vault until the cameras are blind. And you don't touch **anything** inside the vault without latex gloves."

"It will be only a matter of a few seconds, maybe a minute, before somebody will ask about the cameras. To give us a little longer, some slight commotion will occur close to the elevator upstairs and the doors will not open in the vault because of the wedges."

"Place everything in exactly the same place and position, close the vault, remove your rubber gloves and the wedges and turn off or move the lights and wait for the elevator. All you will have to do then is be casual, don't sweat and hope that nobody can hear your hearts pounding."

"When they put the money into _'our'_ _a_rmored car," C. T. said, "we drive away and the other van, the one with Wayne's stage money, we drive around the parking lot and back to the casino, hang around and annoy people."

"You said that we are, or probably are, in a race with Joe's team," Willy said. "We don't know what they are up to. They may duplicate part of the plan, and remember, they have _'legitimate'_ people in place; they won't have to maneuver like we will. They, if they try the same thing, will be able to get into the vault. We don't even know if we can do that. What if, assuming that any of this works, they switch the money before we get there, as I say, **if** we can get there. All we would get is some stage money, their stage money."

"Before you move the money," Wayne said, holding up a small pen knife, "cut into two or three of the bundles and make sure. Make the cut on the **inside** of the bundles and don't damage any of the bills." C. T. laughed.

"If we don't get our guys in the commercial and into the vault?. . ." Willy asked. "Then we go with the numbers," Buck said, somewhat resigned. "And if we do, we will have to use somebody they have never seen, which is probably our best bet, the '_safe_' way, but the plan is worth considering if we can get the rest of the people into place."

"We have seven on the team now," Willy said, "counting you and Gail as one, Susan and Swede as one and so forth. Cathy makes five and Wayne and C. T. brings the total to seven."

"Seven!" Cool Hand said, looking at Wayne and C. T. "Seven is lucky! What about Shirley and Mary Beth? Are they going to be involved?"

"That arrangement is a bit premature," C. T. said, "but my friend and associate with the occasional accent and turban does have them tentatively recruited. We don't really know enough about them yet."

"I can do a search on them," Swede said, "you know, credit checks, bank records, the usual. The connections tell a lot about people. I can do that tonight. . . ?"

"You can get that inf. on people?" Wayne asked, "On the internet?"

"By way of the internet, yes. Shall I?"

Wayne took a sip from the fruit concoction in the large, colorful glass in front of him, set it back on the table and said, "Strictly for inquiry driven by _'romantic'_ interest, do it."

Buck nodded toward Swede and Cool Hand and said, "You guys could do what these two did; marry them. Then they want be forced to testify against you. Maybe."

"Extreme measures," Wayne said, "but if the topic come up, I will truthfully say that we were advised by a wise man not to let them get away."

"Just promise me, and Willy," Buck said, looking at Swede and Cool Hand and excluding them, "that if we are in the area when you do decide to take the plunge, you will let us know. Willy and I could have wandered upon the ceremony barefooted, wearing shorts and ragged T-shirts. It would have been embarrassing!"

"Deal," Wayne said. "Who else do you think you want on the team?"

"Assuming we can get into the vault as before," Buck said, "the security man, the one we tagged '_The Big Guy_' will have to be distracted."

"As in _'female distraction'_? C. T. asked.

"He was in the vault the last time," Cool Hand said. "In fact, he was the one who closed the vault door and chided us about the money. After that, I don't remember seeing him again."

"Neither do I," Swede said. "It could be part of the casino security protocols or it could have been just an added duty he inherited for the commercial. He or somebody with his level of clearance probably has to be present when the door is opened."

"How long will it take you to do the Cambridge attack?" Buck asked.

"Just a few minutes. I can set up in your van and have everything we need to make duplicates. Who do you have in mind to lift the cards?. . . and put them back? Cathy?"

"She can do it," Buck said, "but Big Chief Wahoo may make the connection between her and us. Let's check with her. What about the inductive pick-up, Swede? Do you have anything that will do the job?"

"Nothing in my little box. The camera is all I have on hand but I can come up with something in a few days. Can you get it into place, the device itself?"

"That, also, may take a few days," Buck said. "Let's find the shoppers and tell them that our plans for the night have changed slightly."


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER TEN **

**Thursday morning, 8:00 A. M.:**

"Huston, we have a problem"! Swede said, speaking over the phone. "Get Wayne and C. T and meet me at the pool."

Twenty minutes later, over coffee, Swede said, "Wayne, your two lady friends are auxiliary county deputies!"

"They said that they worked for the county," C. T. said, "clerks or something; they work in records, or so they said."

Willy and Cool Hand arrived just in time to hear that they claimed to work in records. Willy said, "What do you think? Are they plants, to watch you two?"

"It's not likely," Wayne said. "I can't imagine our being even small potatoes to the County of McCracken or to the Feds, certainly not to the extent to send two people on a cruise on surveillance, not the way they whine about not having enough money. But I would feel better, more ways than one, if you can and will check them out. And the sooner the better! Come to think about it, McCracken County or the Feds aren't paying for their cruise; C. T. and I are, discretely, that is. Well, you know where the money came from."

"Get them out of their cabins," Swede said. "Take them ashore for some shopping so I can search their stuff. Tell them it is _'on you and C. T'_., that they will not need to spend any of the money they '_won_'. We need to see their IDs. I removed the camera and mics from Joe's cabin last night so I can put them into theirs for a couple of days, which is about all the time we have."

"I saw you and Susan when you left the show, about at the middle," Willy said. "I didn't get the numbers last night. Did you?"

"Yeah," Swede said, "and I also checked the casino website. They appear glad that somebody actually won one of the lotto games, in Nevada, at The Grande."

"What's up?" Cathy asked. "I didn't know that anybody but me got up this early when they don't have to."

"What do you think about Wayne's and C. T.'s girl friends, Cathy?" Buck asked. "Is there any way that either one of them is some sort of agent?"

"Tell me why you think that they may be," she replied. "But tell me over breakfast, after we get some coffee."

In the buffet line, Buck and Swede explained their concerns to which Cathy said, "We knew that they worked for the county, McClecklin County or something like that. How did you find out about their being auxiliary deputies."

"McCracken County," Swede said. "They are clerks and also auxiliary deputies. Our concern is that they may be here in part in keep an eye on Wayne and C. T.. There was an article in a county newsletter, on the internet, about two of their finest about to enjoy a two week cruise in the Caribbean. They were at a banquet or something. Do you think they are here to watch you and C. T.?"

"I hope not," C. T. said. "They are the closest thing to real girl friends either of us have met in over a year. But check 'em out! With what we are about to try, we don't need the scrutiny. That goes without saying!" He looked across the room and smiled, almost seeming to loose concentration and interest in the conversation. He looked back toward Swede and said, "You will have to excuse us. We are meeting them for an early seating for breakfast."

Seated at as obscure a table they could get, Cathy said, "Look, I've talked with both of them and I have the questionnaires they filled out for the cruise, you know, the one about hobbies, interest and so forth. That's not like the psychological profiles you did on the VPs but I say that they are OK. As far as their being auxiliary deputies, the gun permit I have says that I am the same thing or could be required to be."

"Do you carry a gun?" Swede asked.

"You bet your cheeks, I do!" she replied and finished the coffee in her cup. "Well, most of the time, I do. It depends on where I am going and who I am going to be with. There are just too many crazies in the world. Oh, I don't have it with me on the ship. I keep it in my car."

"Why don't you go shopping with them this morning, just to talk with them again?" Buck said. "Wayne and C. T. are treating."

"That's right," she said, holding up her cup for Swede to refill, "Mr. _'Generous'_ brought his whistle, didn't he? I'll have lunch with them but I don't think I can get anything else into my luggage but I will find out what I can. I'm in this, too, you know."

**Friday evening, 8:00 PM—Last evening meal of the cruise****:**

"Did you retrieve the camera and mics, Swede?" Willy asked.

"This afternoon, while they were taking their last aboard ship swim," Swede said, "and I watched the disk of them."

"And. . . ?" Cool Hand asked.

"Voyeurism is not my forté"

"Okay," Cathy said, "We won't call you a voyeur. She paused for a moment, smiled and added, "What about peeping-tom? Susan sprayed coffee through her nose. Laughing, Cathy continued, "We know you weren't peeping. Good grief! What did they talk about, aside from Wayne and C. T.?"

"That was about it. If the cruise lasted another week, we would probably be making plans to attend another wedding or two."

"No mention of any of their activities?" Buck inquired, "however casual? And their problems with the Feds and their _'cigarette'_ company?"

"Nothing!"

"That is my take on them as well," Cathy said. "They are husband hunting. Trust me on this; I know the drill. They are about as connected to John Law as we are."

"Here's to keeping that status quo," Susan said, holding up her coffee cup in toast.

"What did they buy on the shopping trip?" Gail asked. "Anything expensive?"

"No," Cathy said. "Just a bathing suit. They both did."

"Bikinis?" Cool Hand asked.

"No," Swede said. "Those hip-hugger things. They wore them to the pool this afternoon. They talked about it on the disk. And no, I didn't show it to Wayne or C. T."

"What about the Bonanza Bunch?" Betty asked. "You know, Little Joe and his crew."

"We haven't forgotten about them," Willy said. "We are reading his mail, daily, even before he sees it. I believe that the transfer of funds and the cash they are planning to receive when we dock tomorrow are about all that they have on their plates for now."

"What about the nerd you have been talking about?" Susan asked. "Is it who you thought it was?"

"Yes," Cool Hand said, "and the records, the cruise list, confirm it. It's Kenny, himself. They do indeed have a team. And they are closer to the money than we are."

"Guys," Jeannine said. "Reassure me! Tell me that the image I keep seeing is not a premonition."

"Share your image with us," Swede said.

"It's one you have seen many times," she said. "Actually, what you have seen is a TV knockoff of a painting, the one of a farmer and his wife standing if front of a barn and the man is holding a pitchfork or something."

"The Devil?" Cool Hand asked, smiling, "as in _'having jumped up'_?"

"No," Jeannine said. "The Image is of farmers in my semi-image/dream, four of them, but they are standing in front of a truck."

"Wayne's truck?" Swede asked, also smiling, trying to head off concern.

"No, again. More like Sanford and Son. And they aren't holding pitchforks; they are holding bunches of turnips."

"Bite your tongue, woman." Willy said. "That is more like a nightmare. Do we look that much like bumpkins?"

"Well, no but you keep talking about the impressive team that this Joseph Smith has put together. I know that you guys are pretty smart but I have seen those movies where the cool dudes press a button and doors open, elevators run sideways and the other guys are left dumbfounded and speechless. Well, pardon me all to hell, pilgrims but it just don't work that way!"

"Actually," Buck said. "That is the image we want! Exactly! You know : _We just fell off the turnip truck._"

"I spoke with a sage from the East, once," Swede said, again laughing, "and he taught me a chant that will drive away negative vibes, which we are encountering. All together, now; do exactly as I do." He placed the index fingers of both hands lightly against his thumbs, forming the A-OK sign and placed them against his temples and began humming, "Hmmmmmmmm. . ."

"That sage wasn't from Paducah, was he?" Cool Hand asked. "Paducah is not to the east but to the north."

"I need a drink!" Cathy said.

They all followed Swede's instructions and the sound emanating from the group varied from being almost totally discordant to smooth harmony. They kept it up for about a minute until they realized that everyone in the dining room was watching and listening. The chant gave way to laughter and the group stood up, took a bow and Cool Hand said, "That's all, folks. The show will continue in the nearest lounge."

About an hour later on the deck, adjacent to the lounge to which they had skulked, Wayne cornered Buck and asked, "What was the little musical all about, or should I ask? You guys were just getting tuned up."

"Just a glaring little flash of reality," Buck said. "Not to worry; we lulled ourselves back into our little shell of pseudo security."

"I was right; I shouldn't have asked." "Little reality checks are good," Buck said, "as long as we don't overdo it. In that light, let me remind you not to allow any fingerprints on any of the stage props you are going to prepare, **anywhere**!"

"Gotcha. I told you that we are driving a rental back home, didn't I? We want to try to get a look at who brings our counterparts their latest payment. We won't be going to the airport; we gave the plane tickets to Shirley and Mary to cash in. We'll be in touch. And don't worry; we will be careful. You guys do the same."

**Two weeks later—****Willy's patio: Friday, 7:00 P.M.****:**

"I guess everybody has been reading all the mail," Swede said. "I have been in touch with Wayne and he says that he has everything under control. He and C. T. are getting a little eager to move, I believe."

"Same here," Willy said, turning the steaks on the grill over and basting them. "What time are the girls due?"

"Gail said they would be here by 7:30," Buck said. "Cool Hand, did you get the credit report on the contractor. . .Charles Graddock, the guy you said had applied for a loan that came through your bank."

"Yeah. He has all but exhausted his collateral. Actually, he owns only 22% of his company and he can't borrow against that. How did you find out about him?"

"I overheard him and two of his buddies talking, in one of the restaurants in the Star, a few weeks ago. He and his company does the maintenance on the electrical and control systems for the Star and the Moon. How far in debt is he?"

"Over forty thousand," Cool Hand said. "He already has a second mortgage on his house and his bank account is almost nil. My guess is his wife doesn't even know about it."

"Why do you think that?" Swede asked.

"Nowhere on the application did he even list her name."

"How much do you think we should offer him to plant the pick-up?" Willy asked. "We don't won't to go cheap, but at the same time, we could offer too much."

"I say offer him enough to get him out of the hole he is in," Cool Hand said, "and try to be as menacing as possible. If he is intimidated sufficiently and needs the money enough, he will do the job and keep his mouth shut. But he will have to be concerned about his ass, really concerned after he makes the deal with the devil, **if** he will even make a deal with the devil. Do we have enough devil in us to do it?"

"No problem," Swede said. "I'll handle the details."

"Is he gambling?" Willy asked. "Drinking? Other women?"

"He was at the casino," Buck said, "so gambling could be part of his problem. But we gamble, too."

"Not since the advent of Wayne's whistle," Willy said. "These steaks are just about at perfection. By the way, is Cathy coming? I have an extra pair on the fire, just in case."

"I talked with her about noon today," Cool Hand said. "She said that she would if she could."

"How is she doing at her new job?" Buck asked. "Satisfactorily, I assume."

"Better than that," Cool Hand said. "It's just as you said it would be; they are eating out of her hand. She said to tell you that she has contacted her friend and she will help us out if necessary but that she doesn't care much for playing slot machines. Her specialty is cards, poker and blackjack."

"She didn't tell her any of the plan, did she?" Willy asked.

"Cathy said, **'absolutely not!**'"" Cool Hand said, "that if you want her in, **you** will bring her in."

"If Cathy shows, we can talk about her friend," Buck said. "Has everybody gotten all of the honey-do house chores under control and the day-job routine back in check? It has been. . .what?. . .two weeks since we have even seen a slot machine and that was aboard the cruise ship? The Indians will think that we don't love them anymore."

"We need to get back," Swede said. "It's fun to play even if we do have the edge with the whistle device."

"It's more fun," Willy said. "**Much** more fun! How far along are Wayne and C. T. on the trucks?"

"I received some photos in the mail today," Swede said. "He won't send anything that he is working on over the net. I left them in the car. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll get them. Those steaks look perfect, Willy!"

"Do you think you can get this Graddock fellow to make the plant?" Willy asked.

"I don't know," Buck said. "I made a phone call, from a phone booth, and told him that I would like to hire him and his company for some electronic work. He seemed a bit reluctant and edgy but after I told him that the job wouldn't take long and that it would mean some quick money on his part, he agreed to meet with us. I told him that I would call him when we arrived."

"That would be tomorrow, right?"

"Right," Swede said as he returned and handed a brown envelope to Buck, "and Wayne said that he and C. T. would like be present as well."

Buck opened the envelope and said, after a brief look at the photos, "These look as real as anything Brink's puts on the road." He reached into the envelope and pulled out what appeared to be two $100 bills except that they were printed on only one side. One of the bills had no back and the other had no front. On the 'unprinted' side of each bill was a note that read: _'Chinlau Theatrical Properties, Inc.'_. A second line stated that the note was not for commercial use and was not legal tender in any country. In smaller print along the bottom was a note indicating that the item had been printed in Hong Kong. "Look at these, Cool Hand."

Cool Hand took the two half notes and felt of them. He said, "The paper is just copy paper but they look real. Very real!"

"Wayne says not to get your fingerprints on them," Swede said, "and after you finish looking them over and are satisfied with the quality, to burn them."

"Has he finished with the whole stack," Willy asked.

"He is awaiting our OK before shrink-wrapping the stacks," Swede said. "He has just finished cutting all the paper, which he said, took a while."

"Does he have a wrapper?" Cool Hand asked.

"Yes," Swede said. "C. T. spotted one, and a cutter, at an auction in Tennessee on their return trip. The auction was being held next to the little Mom and Pop restaurant where they stopped for coffee. And he said to tell Buck that neither of them has touched it, or any of the paper, without wearing rubber gloves. And yes, some nonexistent person is the _'owner'_ of the wrapper and cutter as well as the several boxes of paper."

"Call Mr. Gavin and tell him that his artwork is impeccable," Buck said. "Ah, the girls are right on time. I hope they are hungry."

"And that they brought the wine," Swede said. "And I see that Cathy broke away from whatever she had planned. That means that there will be no spare steaks."

"I wish we could schedule as well as you girls do," Buck said. "The steaks are just leaving the chef's grill and Cool Hand has just finished his masterful touch with the potatoes."

"Yeah," Susan said. "Master Chef Cool Hand, or is that Master Microwaver. Except when he eats here or at some restaurant, everything he eats is micro-waved. He is probably radioactive."

Giving Susan a light kiss as she selected a seat at the bench-like table, Cool Hand said, "I don't get no respect." He looked again at her and added, "But that's alright."

No date, Cathy?" Buck asked.

"Gail said that you wanted to talk and that usually means that there should be no outsiders present. But you didn't think that I would pass up on a Willy grilled steak, did you?"

"Would you have come if we were meeting at my grill and I cooked them?" Cool Hand asked. He paused for a couple of seconds, not long enough for a reply, and added, "Don't answer that. They do trust me to make the tea, well to put the ice into the glasses and pour it. I don't want to push my luck. Tell me about your friend."

"Trixie," Cathy said, reaching for the salt and pepper and passing the rolls across the table, "also known as _'Blondie'_ or _'Red'_ and when she is working as a dancer, her stage name is or was Denise."

"Stage name?" Willy asked.

"Yeah. That is how I met her. She was working for a magician, a pretty good one, really. They just didn't ever seem to get the right bookings. He blamed his agent but anyway, here is a picture of her."

Buck held up the photo and viewed it beside Cathy's face. "She looks a lot like you," he said.

"That help me get the job with Cistro. That was the name the magician used. What it was supposed to mean, I have no idea. Part of the show was having his assistant appear and disappear from '_magic_' boxes and cabinets. All we had to do was fix our hair the same way and dress the same way."

Gail took a look at the photo and said, "Little Trixie had to have some help on the superstructure but from a few feet away, you could pass for her."

"A little padding was needed," Cathy said, not hiding a small amount of pride, "but with the right costumes, it wasn't all that noticeable. The mind reading act was where I came in."

Swede reached over, chucked her on the cheek and asked, "Can you really read minds, Cathy?"

"Most guys minds are an open book, Swede. By the way, Nordness is Scandinavian, not Swedish. How did you get the nickname _'Swede'_?"

"By letting a nerve dangle in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most people don't even know what my real name is?"

"What is your real name?"

"See. It's Thomas. Well, Author Thomas."

Cathy began to laugh and said, referring to her earlier joke about his being a peeping Tom, "I almost got it right, didn't I?"

Susan said, "Yes, you did. The way he ogles girls, the name fits. He should be happy that _'Swede'_ stuck."

"Getting back to the subject," Buck said, "your friend, who you said had nicknames of _'Blondie'_ and 'Red', has the same color hair as you, brunette?"

"Bellane, or _'Trixie'_ is flexible. The blonde look came from a bottle, most of the time. Of course, there were wigs she used while working for Cistro. I was a blonde once."

"Tell me, Cathy," Cool Hand said, "do blondes have more fun?"

"You're married to a blonde," Cool Hand. "You should know."

"People, people," Buck said, feigning frustration. "We are trying to steal a large amount of money from some very dangerous people and you carry on this dialogue."

Jeannine said, "Hey, and we aren't even drinking, yet. I'll check to see if the wine is chilled. I know there is a cold beer around here for the Swede. Keep the negative vibes under wraps, Bucky."

Gail said, forming the A-OK sign and placing her fingers on her temples, "Together, now. Hmmmmmmmmm. . . "

"Oh, God, we're doomed!" Willy said, as the chant rose.

After the wine was retrieved from the refrigerator and served, Cathy continued, "She would lift objects from people in line for tickets and even after they had entered the auditorium. Cistro would make a quick study of the items and she and I would give him a brief description of the owners and it was my job to get the items back to the owners without their knowing. He could talk about pictures, trinkets, junk or what ever we lifted. I helped with the pickpocket duty sometimes, but Trixie was the best around."

Are they still working?" Buck asked.

"When I last talked with her, it was just once-in-a-while gigs. Cistro, if that is the name he is still using, hired another assistant, younger than Trixle. Of course, there is a lot of that going on. She is still more or less with the group but not all that happy. She doesn't get on stage like she used to. She still does the lifting and returning."

"How good is she?" Buck said.

"The joke was that she could lift the skivvies from a guy and he would never know it until he got undressed."

"Was she as good at replacing them?"

"Actually, Trixie never really concerned herself with returning skivvies. But yes! I know what you need; the security cards. I can lift them, myself."

"Yes," Willy said, "but Big Chief Wahoo would probably recognize you, from the cruise. And we need **his** card, for at least thirty minutes, long enough for the _'Scandinavian'_ magician to do his magic."

"Would she be interested in joining this. . .lunatic(?) group?" Buck asked. "Full share. Her morals could be compromised."

"Compromising is not a problem. When I talked with her, her group was trying to get bookings in Nashville and Memphis. They have done a few shows in Mississippi and they did a few shows in Vicksburg last year and one, I think in Biloxi. As for her morals, they are like well trained dogs; if they act up, she gives them a kick in the head and they go sit in the corner and behave."

"What does she think about Indians?"

"She will love Big Chief Wahoo! I am sure of it. For a full share, she will hand you his skivvies, trophy style, if they are required."

"And he is not to know that they have been taken," Willy said. "Contact your friend but don't tell her too much until we can meet with her. Okay?"

"I'll locate her, tonight, if possible. . . but!"

"But what?" Swede asked.

"Two things first: No.1—I finish this meal and No.2—I get the first piece of the cake that Gail has in the car. Then, I'll have that girl in Choctaw sometime tomorrow!"


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER ELEVEN **

**Parking lot, local motel in Chotaw—3:00 P.M****.:**

"Willy," Buck said, speaking into a hand-held radio, "are you and Cool Hand in place to keep an eye on Graddock.?"

"I'm near the parking entrance and Cool Hand is outside the room with the motel office in view. I feel like we are playing some cowboy and Indian game or Junior G-Man. Are you there, Cool Hand?"

"I'm set here," Cool Hand replied. "You know, at least we don't have to come up with code names; our nick names sound phony enough, don't you think? Did Wayne arrive?"

"Yes. He's here with me and Swede and C. at the Star with the girls. Cathy and her friend are supposed to arrive within the hour."

"Sounds like the gangs all here," Willy said. "I hope our man shows; its getting hot in this parking lot."

"We brought enough vehicles this time," Cool Hand said. "This operation is getting expensive. We may have to blow the whistle a couple of times."

"That will be no problem," Wayne said. "In fact, I plan on using it. My operation in Paducah has put a drain on the funds."

"Heads up," Swede said. "I think our man just turned in. I'm unlocking the door to his room. Guys, we better get in place. Everything is set up."

"What did you find out about this guy, Swede?" Buck asked as they entered a second room, three door away. "Anything of interest?"

"Other than a speeding ticket or two and a couple of run-ins with the locals, he is as pure as the driven snow," Swede said, "and those were before his twentieth birthday, seven years ago."

"Mr. Graddock," Swede said, "you come very well recommended. I will be with you momentarily. Help yourself to something to drink or perhaps a snack and if you will, please have a seat facing the camera at the table, across the room."

"I thought I was going to meet with a person. . ."

"You are, Mr. Graddock but until we are convinced that you are the person for the job, please bear with us. Is it too early for a drink?"

"I have to be at work by 5:00 P. M. and my ride is waiting for me in the lot. I hardly know the guy; he works in maintenance at the Moon. Where are you talking from?"

"We will be as brief as possible, Mr. Graddock, but we still need a bit of information," Swede said and closed the mic to the room. "Willy, what about the guy in the car? What is he doing?"

"He is outside the car, smoking a cigarette."

"Did anybody else show up?

"One other customer is in the office," Cool Hand said, "but I don't think they are here together."

"Okay," Swede said and opened the mic. "Pardon the interruption; there was another call. Again, please bear with us, for our purpose is serious and remember that everything you hear and say in this room **stays** in this room. On the table, you will find a pair of latex gloves. Put them on, please. Don't touch anything else!"

Buck, Swede and Wayne observed the man's deliberate, hesitant moves via Buck's laptop via video. The man was somewhat skeptical and suspicious, knowing he was being watched by people he neither knew nor could see. After he had the gloves on he said, "This is a little over the top, cloak-and-dagger-wise, isn't it?"

"Open the package on you left, please," Swede said and waited a moment and added, "tell me what you see."

A smile came across his face, followed by a slight whistling through lightly clenched teeth as he examined the piece of electronic gear. "Nobody has access to this, outside of the government. Who are you people? MI? CIA?"

"We understand that you are having some difficulties with finances. Is this correct?"

"How did you find out about that and what does it have to do with this gear?"

"What is it? $40,000?" Buck asked, more of an accusation than a question. "And the bank is not all that eager to assist you, are they? Even if they did, it would be just another debt that you can scarcely afford."

"There's more than one person watching me, right?"

"Ye' can bet yer bloody nickers there are more than one, mate," Wayne spoke up in one of his phony brogues. "And we donno 'ave thu time tu chew thu bloody fat!"

"Give me another minute," Swede said, groping for a name or title to use, having been caught off guard by Wayne's intrusion, "uh. . .Colonel. "Mr. Graddock is new to our protocols."

"'E's been told that 'e will bloody well be paid for a simple job. That's all 'e needs tu know."

"What is the range of the device, Mr. Graddock"

"You can receive digital quality audio and video up to a thousand yards with it. Easy, providing you have the right gear matched with it and I assume that the transmitter is in box no. 2. Right? Where did you get it?"

"All you have to do is to place the unit into the right cable tray so that the pickup will provide a video of the vault room in the Moon and you can have the brown envelope. If you agree to our request, a second, identical envelope will be yours. Open the envelope."

The whistling sound came again and Graddock said, "You people do pay well. You must be with the government; nobody else is this well funded."

"And your problem with the bank will disappear."

"And if 'ye blotch the job," Wayne said, "'ye will 'ave problems 'ye donno want tu think about."

"Mr. Graddock, you must forgive. . .the Colonel's impatience," Swede said. "He is under a serious deadline."

"We are all under thu same deadline, Major," Wayne said. "Mr. Graddock, are 'ye interested in 'elping us wi' our security problem 'er no. Not only will 'ye be well paid, 'ye will 'ave our undying support 'n gratitude. And 'ye would be a part of a team dedicated to security."

"Charley. You don't mind if I call you Charley, do you?" Buck asked.

"No, not at all."

"As you probably are aware, Charley, there is a lot of money being moved around and through the vault at the casino and we need to know just who is interested in it. That much money could finance all manner of activity, activity we are dedicated to prevent. All we need is to view the people who take an unusual interest in it."

"Everybody who knows about it is interested in it," Graddock said, "myself included. They show the view of the vault over the TV monitors. It is what makes the idiots play that impossible to win video slot game."

"That is taped, Charley. You know that. We need a live view, more scrutiny of the people, Mr. Graddock," Buck said. "Just of the people, not the money. We just don't want the wrong people to get the money."

"There's no way anybody will ever get money from that vault," Graddock said. "Okay, I'll place the unit."

"We're glad to have you aboard, Charley," Swede said. "Take the two packages, and the envelope, leave and don't look back. Some very serious minded people will be watching you but try not to be distracted. When the unit is in place and functioning, a second envelope will be yours."

"It will be in place by 8:00 tonight. When can I expect the rest of the money?"

"As soon as we are convinced that it has been properly placed," Swede said. "**But!** Before you take the money, make sure that you want to be part of the team. **Be very sure!** As I said, some very serious people will be watching you. Just continue to go about your daily routine and those people will be there to cover you. There are two other little items. One goes without saying and that is that **nobody** is to know about this. **NOBODY!** That is the most important thing in you life. The second is that we will need the indexing codes for the cameras, **all** of them. Leave the codes on the front seat of your truck, the GMC. It is to be delivered to your parking space from being servicing at 5:00. Correct? That is where the second envelope will be placed. He did not reply but nodded agreement. "

The man nervously rose from his seat, took the packages and headed toward the door. Just as he was about to open the door, Buck said, "Charley, remove the gloves. You may keep them if you like but there are two more pairs in the larger box, the one with the power pickup and transmitter. Just don't leave any prints, on **anything**."

After Graddock closed the door behind him, Swede asked, "What kind of accent was that supposed to have been, Wayne? Australian?"

"'Ow would I know, mate?" Wayne replied. "The only Australian I know I learned watching beahr commercials on the tele', and I don't think I really got the hang of it. Where did you get the gear that impressed Charley so much, Swede."

"Don't ask," Swede said and laughed. "If I told you, I would have to kill you!"

"Just how much did you place in the envelope, Wayne?" Buck asked as he unplugged the laptop they had used for observing Graddock. "He seemed duly impressed."

"Twenty-five! I didn't want to go cheap. I wanted him to feel important, and to keep his mouth shut."

It was Buck's turn to make the whistling sound through his teeth. He said, "With all of these vehicles and people, you had better get the whistle tuned up. Are you going to use it here?"

"Not unless C. T. uses it," he replied. "The Lady Luck, in Biloxi, comes to mind for one. If you recall, she owes us. We have a line on a limousine there, just about as long the ones parked at the Star and Moon. And don't forget about Cathy's friend. What's her name. Trixie? She will have expenses."

"That is how we plan to finance her entry," Swede said. "Cathy may have already introduced her although she was not to tell her how the win occurs."

"When are you leaving for the coast?" Buck asked.

"After a late breakfast, tomorrow morning."

"What about the girl friends, Shirley and Mary?" Swede asked. "Do you think that their closeness will prove to be a problem?"

"I am happy to report that I believe our concerns were unfounded. They are holding down the fort in Paducah, still unaware that the whole charade is just that—a charade. The two of them, in their spare time are about to make the theatrical thing actually work. Of course, they think we are very nearly independently wealthy." As they approached Wayne's rental he added, "Let me show you our letterhead. Take a look at those names."

"Impressive," Swede said. "Does C. T. actually know Jesse?"

"No, and I'm concerned that one of the girls will contact him for permission to use his name on the advisory board."

"If they suggest it," Swede said, "convince them that he has too many social concerns at this time to be bothered and that permission to use his name was secured when the groups were actually formed. It may work, if it becomes a problem."

"What about the rooms here?" Wayne asked. "Whose name are they in?"

"I Don't have a clue," Buck said. "Willy took care of that. He paid cash in advance and used one of Swede's patented credit cards, for identification only of course. We never use them for charges, only for registering and false ID."

Willy and Cool Hand pulled out ahead of them and headed back toward the casino. Wayne said, "I have to get some gasoline. It will only take a minute or two."

**Buck's/Gail's suite—Third floor, Silver Star, 5:00 P. M.**:

"We don't usually live this high on the hog, Bell Ann, believe me," Buck said, "but we have the whole gang here this weekend and this three room suite is convenient as a central meeting room. It's really not to impress you."

"Don't worry about impressing me," she replied. "I've been around long enough not to require it. After the session with young Cathy at the slots, I should be trying to impress you guys."

"Did she tell you about the whistle? That's Wayne's little contribution, except that is no little contribution. Without it, we wouldn't be attempting our plan."

Wayne took a slight bow and said, "You're an impressive lady, yourself."

"She and the others just filled me in, a few minutes ago. She smiled and said, "I won $12,000.00 on a $5 slot machine. I couldn't believe it. I have never played anything higher than $1 machines, and then not often. Cards are my choice but too many people have seen our magic act and suspect that I am cheating. Of course, I can't be cheating if the house deals, now can I?"

"Are you sure this girl isn't your sister, Cathy?" Buck asked. "She could be."

"We have passed ourselves as sisters on occasions," Cathy said., "and at times, the same person but except for the looks and the dubious character traits we share, well that's it, except for a wrinkle or two."

"Cathy said that I can keep the $12,000.00 and walk away," Trixie said. "But I have to at least listen to the deal."

"While you tell her what's up," Gail said, "C. T., Jeannine and I are going to hit a couple of machines. He said that they are in need of some additional funds. Betty and Susan are waiting for us in the lobby. We have snack trays and drinks but don't overload on them; we are planning to hit the buffet later. **Fifteen** different desserts! **Yes! ** Be back shortly."

"I thought you were going to the coast to hit them," Buck said.

"Just a light touch, here," C. T. said. "They have moved some of the key machines around on us and the ladies have promised to show me where they are."

"Care to join us, Cathy," Gail asked, "or do you need to be here?"

"We'll join you at the buffet," she said and looked to Buck for approval, "in, say, an hour? The first ones there, get a table, if you can." Buck nodded.

"What has Cathy told you, . . .? And what should I call you?"

"Bell Ann, Bell, Ann, Trixie," she replied. "It doesn't matter." She tool a pair of finger sandwiches from one of the trays and said, "She said only that I would probably be interested and that if the plan works, either part of it, my part from it will allow me to go watch magic shows instead of having to perform in them."

After twenty minutes of explanation and Q&A, Trixie said, "And all you want me to do is to distract the Indian? What if he doesn't take to me"

"Cathy said that you could make a wooden Indian smile," Willy said, "and I believe her."

"It's just one of the BS lies we spread about each other. Cathy is a friend. But seriously, what can I do to get him away from the action?"

"We plan to make the move close to midnight, just when he is scheduled to go off duty," Swede said. "**If** everything falls into place and we can get back in the commercial and into the vault as before, it will help if he is looking forward to getting off, no pun intended."

"And if that doesn't happen, we go with the lotto slot?" she asked, smiling. "Why not do both? The lotto payout is an annuity; we would get, . . .what?. . half of that on a cash payout? But you should pardon my greed."

"Greed is good," Cool Hand said. "Greed is good. It provides motivation."

"We will be in place at the time to do either," Buck said, "but I prefer to try the switch first."

"May I speak my mind?" Trixie asked. "No offense!"

"Everybody here does," Willy said. "It is a rule."

"The plan is just simple enough and dumb enough to work." she said. "The only complications are apt to arise due to the support activities. For example, my part. I know that he had a substitute fill in for him while he was on vacation. What if she is on duty?"

"She!" Swede responded.

"You don't know about her?"

"No, we don't!" Cathy broke in. "How do you know about _her_? And who is she?"

"Are you guys sure that you have all the bases covered?" She asked as Willy's cell phone sounded. "Cistro's agent, well, I used to call him 'our' agent, has been in touch with the people at several casinos, here in particular, because of the commercial they are going to redo. He hopes to get his act taped as part of the activities shown on the commercial, even if is for just a few seconds. They show it all over the state, in 30 or 40 casinos plus all those that are part of the lotto slot game in other states. The problem is that every act on the circuit is trying for the same thing."

"What about the female?" Cool Hand pressed.

"The agent, a real pain in the ass when he is working, met with Walter, the security man, our Indian that you want me to interest, before he went on vacation. He returned while he was away and he had to met with her, a real looker, according to him."

"We have a problem, Huston," Swede moaned. "More than one. The Indian is a guy. Guys are easy. All a girl has to do, if she is interested at all, is just show up. Also, consider that he is not exactly a young buck, no reference to you, partner, but a young, good looking female? Good grief! She probably turns away more suitors that she bothers with. You are still a hot looking babe yourself, Trixie."

Willy interrupted and said, "Susan said to tell you guys that if you can be in the buffet in thirty minutes, supper is on her. She must have won."

"Why thirty minutes?" Wayne queried.

"She's hungry!" Swede said. "Tell her we will be there and to get us a large table."

"You have another problem, Huston," Trixie said.

"Which is?" Both Willy and Buck shot back, almost in unison.

"I spoke with the agent, who said that he got a favorable response from Walter the next time he met with him. It seems that Walter enjoys a considerable amount of influence in the resort. He just may have enough clout to get what the agent asked for. All that he had to do was to listen to him."

"Problem?" Cool Hand pressed. "What is the problem?"

"We may have to drive away the negative vibes again," Cathy said as she pulled the tab on a beer."

"**If** you can get to the point in the plan where I come into play," Trixie said, "maybe he can be caused to look the other way and/or otherwise be distracted. But. . . ." She stopped and told Cathy to open one for her.

"I am going to strangle your friend, Cathy," Willy said, "if she doesn't get to the point."

"No," Cathy said, handing her a fresh beer. "**I **am going to strangle her. This crazy plan just may put me, all of us, over the top financially. Of course, it may just as well harelip the lot of us." She nodded to Trixie to continue.

"But if Miss. . .whatever title you want to give her, is on duty. Well, I just don't think that you have the trooper on hand to do the job. And even if you did, she would have to be interested in him, just like Walter is going to have show an interest in me. I hate to be the wet blanket, guys but this is a fact."

"You don't think we are good looking enough? Swede asked, feigning a hurt pride.

"Good looking, handsome, debonair," she said. "It makes no difference. Besides, you guys are all married, except for Wayne and C. T. and they are just starting a relationship. This type of hook-up often takes time."

"We'll give it some thought," Buck said.

"There is one other larger problem, Huston," she said.

"What's one more problem? Willy asked.

"Trixie said, draining the can of beer, "Whoever you have in mind to interest the girl had better have more credentials than just a merit badge in pitching woo. . ."

"Pitching woo?" Swede asked

"I frequently play to audiences with kids present," she replied, "but you know what I mean. The lad had better have a black belt in the art and be capable of sustained, unbridled, unrestrained revelry. He will have to be seriously affected with satyriasis. I have it on good authority that the Indian Princess is a world class nymphomaniac. This is what the agent patiently listen to Walter go on about. His relief, actually the one the tribal council is thinking about replacing him with is, in addition to her life style characteristic that I mentioned, a college educated genius. They think she should find a suitable young man, preferably a member of the tribe, and get married. The younger men in the tribe apparently know the situation, one that everybody except the elders knows about, and nobody talks about. She has a problem that the young bucks don't want to deal with and Walter won't reveal it to the others on the council. Oh, yes, Walter imbibes firewater. Our faithful agent, who gets more than the usual 10%, was pouring drinks into him at a local watering hole when he began talking. He was hoping for a deal, not to hear about his problems. "

"He is about to get screwed out of his job," Willy said. "That didn't sound right. And he chooses to be a gentleman about it."

"This is beginning to sound like a soap opera," Cathy said. "Let's go eat before Susan calls and backs out on her offer to buy."


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Buck's/Gail's suite—Third floor, Silver Star****, 9:00 A. M.**:

"When will we see you and C. T. again, Wayne," Buck asked.

"Whenever. We can be here or Hueytown within a matter of hours. This is currently our main interest. By the way, just where is Hueytown, somewhere between Lick Skillet and Suck Egg? Just kidding."

"We've been taking some of that lately, kidding that is, since Trixie came onboard."

"The lady does have a penchant for speaking her mind," C. T. said, "but let's face it, guys; she knows more about her mark than we do. How _old_ is she, anyway?"

"I heard Cathy say that she is fifty," Cool Hand said, "but she looks twenty-five."

"I heard that," Cathy said as she quietly closed the door behind her. "I am twenty-five. How old do _**I**_ look? Be careful how you answer and why don't I have a cup of coffee waiting for me, Buck Huston? You use to get coffee for all the girls who worked for you. You're the one who is getting old and slow."

"You look like a teenager, Sweetie," Buck said. "You just have a seat and I will take care of the coffee. Get this lady a shawl."

"You can't lie any better now that when you were in engineering, Buck. Where is everybody? We are supposed to go to the beach, or whatever they call it,"

The phone rang. Cathy answered, put her hand over the mouth piece and said, "It's Trixie." She moved her hand and continued, "Where are you, girl? You are going to the beach with us aren't you?" She paused for a moment and said, "Let me find the right button and I will put you on the speaker."

"Are you going to join us for breakfast, Bell?" C. T. asked.

"No," she replied. "We should'nt be seen together. I have a '_legitimate' _reason to be in contact with Walter, if I can arrange an _'accidental'_ meeting, namely to influence his selection of items for the commercial, which should be coming up soon. He may connect me with you and the people on the cruise and I am not even officially working with the agent, who thinks I am getting too old to be on stage."

"We'll put his name on our list," C. T. said. "Not the nice-guy list."

"I Think you are going for over-kill here, Buck," Trixie said, "but Cathy said that your attention to details kept the suits off your projects more than once."

"The problem with _'suits'_," Buck said, "is that they try to believe that rules are for the underlings until the _'super suits'_ come down on them."

Susan and Betty came into the middle room, used for a meeting place, and Betty asked, "Is Gail up, yet."

"I think so," Buck said. "Rap on the door. Where is Jeannine?"

"She's getting a table for us. You are coming, aren't you, Cathy?" They were both laughing as they entered the adjoining bedroom.

"Yes," Cathy replied. When they closed the door, she turned to Buck and said, "You know what they are laughing about, don't you?" She joined in the laughing and added, "Or are you afraid to ask?"

"Buck," Trixie said, also laughing as Swede and Willy came in, "I don't think you need to worry about Walter's probable replacement. Walter, maybe, but she is just not likely to be a problem, but you should do what you feel comfortable with. I need to go now; I have to be _'sleeping with the enemy'_, you know. I'll do that after I find the enemy and I will also start tracking the Pocahontas Princess. And guys, don't leave it to the girls to find her a partner. They may just know somebody to fill the bill, so get hot."

Cathy laughed again when Trixie hung up. She said, as she entered the adjoining room, "We'll see you at breakfast in a few minutes, guys. Try to solve this little quandary."

"Swede," Buck said. "Did you set up Trixie's laptop so that she can read the mail and e-mail all of us?"

"She's all set," Swede responded. "We're taking a beating here, guys. Maybe we are straining at a gnat. Has anybody picked up anything in Joe's mail?"

"Nothing of note," Willy said. "He did make a reference to the commercial last night but that has been about it. What did Trixie say when you showed her the numbers?"

"I gave her a sealed envelope with the winning numbers, just a few minutes before they were to change," Swede said. "She opened it after midnight, when the winning numbers were posted. She said to never give her those again, that if she had known what was inside the envelope, she probably would have choked up completely."

"It does have that effect," Buck said. "I just hope that our competition has the same problems but they are already taking a profit from them, selling the numbers. I also hope that they are having other problems as well and that we can read the mail in time to know what they are. Are you guys sure that there is not somebody you know who can be our next team member."

"Speaking of members," Wayne said. "Did Graddock get the unit placed?"

"Yes," Swede said, "and he delivered the codes. We can now view the vault. There are **three** camera there, not two. One is inside the vault, on the rear wall, giving a view of the back side of the door and whoever and whatever comes in and there are motion sensors also that come on whenever the door is closed. I recorded the scenes so that I will be able get a definitive location of the camera and add it to our virtual vault video. The third camera doesn't show up on the views shown in the casino video."

'There is one guy I use to know, actually a good friend, who may be willing and able to take on the princess," Cool Hand said. "That is if some husband or citizen's group hasn't had him killed. I'll do a search after breakfast but that is where we should be headed for now. You can leave the other payment if you have it, Wayne."

"I'll take care of it on my way out," Wayne said, "and I'll also remind him that he is to remain on call, that he is still obligated." Breakfast was relatively free from discussion of the plan at hand, mainly due to the proximity of other diners. Just before they were about to leave, Susan asked, "Cathy, do you think that Bell Ann will have any problem being around here so much?"

"She has lived out of suit cases half of her life," Cathy. "She is perfectly at home and with the money she _'won'_, well, she probably has more cash on hand than she has ever had. The same is true for me even though I have the bank job. Don't worry about her."

"What about the princess?" Jeannine asked, trying to get a rise from the guys.

For a moment, no one replied and then Cool Hand said, none too boastfully, almost in a whisper, "We're working on it. We're working on it. Swede has his laptop."

"Trixie has your camera, Swede," Susan said. "She'll return it next weekend. She wants to get some pictures of the water park."

"We have Buck's camera," Gail said, "in case we see something of interest and it has the zoom lens. Are you guys sure you don't want to come along?"

"Maybe next time." Willy said. "We don't have bathing suits and besides we need to do a search. We should be on the road by about five. If we aren't in the room when you return, try the pool, the indoor pool at the Star."

**Poolside—Indoor pool at The Star, 11:00 A. M****.:**

"Trixie seems to discount the worth of her part in this, Buck," Swede said, "and the advisability of bothering with the female."

"This complex, just this part of it—the two casinos, is fairly large," Buck said, "and we don't have enough time or people here to track the movements of everybody we need to watch. They know us. We can hope only to watch a few. The two in question, Walter and the female, are the top two security people here. If we can keep just part-time tabs on them, well, they are the best choice. But Trixie is right; we may not be able to learn enough to bother with. Our approach is a long shot but tell me about your friend, or this guy you used to know."

"His name is Joshua, Joshua Dunston Gable, Josh for short," Cool Hand began. "He is kind of a tall version of that actor who played in the movie _Shane_, what's his name. At least that is who he reminded me of after he was about eighteen. Real good looking guy, likable, actually a gentleman, despite his habits and inclinations."

"A babe magnet?" Swede asked.

"He was a magnet, alright," Cool Hand said, "but not just babes, anything female. He did not cull any of them, short, tall, blond, red heads, pretty, ugly, any and all ethnic groups."

"You say that he would pick a girl from any category?" Buck asked.

"Not **a** girl;** some** girls but the if the truth is told, they looked him up. He gave a new meaning to the term _'double date'_. '_Triple date'_ would be an understatement. Multiple was the word. Most of girls we, well, actually Josh, met in high school were on the hunt. I don't know that he ever actually had a girlfriend. That particular social skill was one that he never mastered. It seemed irrelevant."

"You didn't mention this Josh at first, Cool Hand," Willy said. "Tell us something about him and if you think he may be able to help us get the female security officer's card long enough for Swede to read and copy it."

"Some people had the opinion that he should have been locked up," Cool Hand said, "me along with him as well. That could be where he is now."

"This guy was your friend?" Willy said.

"The closest of friends and whatever the _'better'_ people thought of him, although no one ever openly spoke of his activities, they weren't talking about just him. I was often right there with him."

"Anything illegal?" Buck asked. "We don't want to bring anyone around who will attract the law. You seemed to have survived relatively unscathed."

"I'll tell you about one little episode, guys." Cool Hand said. "At the time the benefits always seemed to outweigh the consequences."

"Were the consequences dangerous or serious?" Buck pressed.

"Serious enough, my captain," Cool Hand said, "to thirteen and fourteen year old boys, dangerous enough and serious enough, ass-kicking-wise."

"You have a checkered past, Cool Hand," Willy said. "One that we don't know about."

"I'll tell you about this one episode, just one."

As his three friends/partners pulled their chairs closer to the table and leaned forward. Cool Hand hesitated as though he had let a cat out of his bag that he should have kept under wraps. "OK, guys," he began. "This is going to sound like the plot out of a bad porn flick, a very bad one."

"Wait one minute," Swede said, as a waitress approached their table. "Bring us a round of the tallest, coolest, non alcoholic drink you serve." When the waitress left, he said, "We're all ears." Everybody but Cool Hand shined a Cheshire Cat smile.

"Due to an indiscretion by a nurse who had treated Josh after an accident on his bicycle," he began, "knowledge about Josh's attributes leaked out, mostly to the females in the community, due to the fact that most of the nurses were female."

"Attributes?" Swede inquired.

"He was thirteen or so," Cool Hand said, "and his equipment made Little Joe's look like a peanut. Well, maybe a large peanut."

"Good grief!" Swede said.

"Good grief, indeed," Cool Hand said. "The '_older_' girls, the seventeen, eighteen year old ones, well, word got around. We were shy, timid, afraid of girls actually. Allow me to be truthful. Ignorant more correctly described us! We didn't know what to say or how to act, or for that matter the real reason for their interest in Josh, even though we pretended we did. I keep saying _'we'_. It wasn't '_we'_; it was Josh they wanted but he was even more shy and backward than I was, if that was possible. I was, hey, a year and a half older and I had '_been around the block'_ or so I thought. He would refuse to go with them at first unless we both went."

"You dog!" Swede said and laughed.

"What about the one incident?" Willy asked, smiling.

"It was late August," Cool Hand, managing a grin that grew into a full blown smile. "We were starting to high school in a few weeks. Josh had been double promoted a couple of times so we were in the same class; he was pretty smart. I guess we both were but from some of the things we did, it would have been hard to convince anybody. Four of the best looking females in the high school came by to pick up Josh. They had to have some help _'cleaning up a cottage'_ on the river. It belonged to the parents of one of the girls."

"Four?" Swede exclaimed.

"There was some _'heavy lifting'_, no doubt," Buck said and joined in the ribbing.

"Two cheerleaders and two majorettes," Cool Hand said. "I am not lying. One of them was the prom queen. To make it worse. . ."

"Worse?" Willy asked. "What do you mean? Nothing could have made that worse. Not for me, anyway, unless I would have woke up from my dream."

"Girls like that have boy friends. **Big** boy friends—captain of the football team and his three co-captains, BMOC. **They** were suppose to be the ones to 'help' with the job. I was doing my small part entertaining the ones standing in line waiting for their turn to _'talk'_ to Josh in private."

"This Josh was servicing four girls at a time?" Swede asked.

"A routine outing for my man. Well, I like to think I helped in some small way but I was just picking up the slack, catching the overflow, _'getting coffee and donuts for the waiting clients'_, so to speak. Unfortunately, the BMOC found out about the event. Three of the girls had taken a break and gone swimming and I was on the front porch when they drove up. We had ridden with the girls, in one of their parent's van; we diid'nt not have driver's licenses. They parked so that the van was blocked. It didn't matter; neither Josh nor I could drive and I knew that I couldn't outrun any of them. Poor old Josh. His second _'little talk'_, as the sessions were called, was just ending."

"Second round?" Swede asked, not really believing his friend. "Four girls?"

"Three," Cool Hand said. "You forget about me. Being on the front porch and not actually caught in a compromising embrace. ." He stopped and smiled, then continued, "in no way carried any weight with the four thugs who unloaded from that Mustang convertible. Those guys looked like King Kong and his court. They had seen the three girls in the river, taking a swim. The football team captain's girl was not in the water; she had drawn the short straw on round two and was still _'talking'_ to Josh. They preferred to call it _'talking'_."

"Is this what you meant when you said that the consequences were serious and dangerous?" Buck asked, trying not to laugh.

"I took only one good shot to the head," Cool Hand said, "but a thirteen or fourteen year old has about as much a chance against a guy that much older and bigger as a fart has in a whirl wind. Fear gripped my young, mis-adventuresome soul. They slapped me around a little while Mr. _'Captain-Of-The-Team'_ broke in on the conference inside. I think that he wished that he hadn't. He came out after a minute or two and joined in the threatening but after a few shots to the body and a few kicks to the butt, the fear was gone."

"How often did this happen?" Buck asked.

"Those four were never entertained again, as a group, that I can recall," Cool Hand said.

"No," Buck asked. "How often did you have to fight?"

"Fight?" Cool Hand said. "That wouldn't have been a fight. It would have been man-slaughter, a double killing—mine and Josh's. I reminded Mr. 'Captain-Of-The-Team' and his henchmen how embarrassing it would be for everybody to know that the four of them had been shot out of the saddle by two twelve year olds. Okay, so I erred on the short side of our age. We were desperate."

"Did Josh get beat up any?" Willy asked.

"No," Cool Hand said. "My _'masterful'_ handling of the situation spared him. He said that I was _'Totally Cool!'_ . Hence the nickname."

"You tell everybody that you took it from a Paul Newman movie." Willy said.

"Actually, I did. Not mentioning the close encounter with death is more respectable and was, for a long time, a safer story to tell. In some circle's, it still is. It will be safer for you three if it does not change."

"Your secrete is safe, Cool Hand," Buck said. "By the way, guys," how is your off time at work holding up? The cruise put a dent into mine but fortunately I can work a few night time hours and Saturdays to regain some on comp time."

"I'm in good shape," Willy said. "I carried over a week from last year and if need be, I can use that method where I work also. What about you, Cool Hand."

"I'll work something out if I have to. I have a few days left and there is always sick time. If Cathy has to be on hand from work, I don't know. She hasn't accrued any vacation time yet. But I'll come up with something."

Swede said, "I have over a week left." The waitress returned and Swede ordered another round of the fruit punch and asked, "Can we get a phone line here, to get on line?" He tapped on his laptop with an index finger.

"Yes," she replied, "but you will have to move to one of the tables next to the wall and I will have to bring you a patch cord. You guys really should put that thing up and enjoy the fun things here."

Ten minutes later, the drinks and patch cord arrived and Swede was on line, ready for a search. "What is his name? I feel as though I should give him a title of some kind."

"Joshua Dunston Gable," Cool Hand said, "that is, if he isn't using an assumed name. And cheer me up by not looking under deaths until you have tried everywhere else. For some reason, probably going to different colleges, we just haven't kept in touch. It's been six years."

Twenty minutes and half of the fruit punch later, Swede said, "The first two did not pan out. Here's one in Roswell, Georgia. It's a website, Gable Business Associates. We may have your boy. There is a voice and a fax number. Hand me a cell." He dialed the number and listened to the recorded message saying that the caller had reached Gable Business Associates and which number to enter in order to leave a message. He punched in one of them and said, "Mr. Gable, we are trying to secure the services of a reputable river cabin cleaning service and you come highly recommended."

"What if you have the wrong number," Cool Hand said.

"No problem," Swede said. "I'll just tell him that I am trying to reach some old team mates for a class reunion and give the phone to you. You can always come up with an answer."

Swede smiled and handed the phone to Cool Hand who listened for a minute to an obviously open line. He said, "Well, maybe we have reached him but if we have, he isn't talking. I would leave my return number but the answering machine is off. We may have to e-mail him. Listen, the line is open, but there is no voice."

Swede pulled a patch line from the side of the laptop and put the silent phone on the laptop speakers so that all of them could listen. Finally a voice said, "We do not provide cabin cleaning services, sir, but I can put you in touch with a person who probably can assist you."

Cool Hand held up two thumbs and said, "You could have spoken up that morning, Ole' Buddy: I was in a bind."

"It was right at the top of my list of things to do, Cool Hand," Josh said. Some semi- muffled chuckling followed and he added, "Well, maybe not **the** top of the list, but I was about to get around to it." The chuckling gave way to honest laughter. "You see, Cool Hand, I wasn't sure that those Neanderthals could even speak, let alone converse at yours and my level of intellect. The only thing anybody in school had ever heard any of them say was _'hut one', 'hut two' and, 'hut three'."_

"Yeah, right, Ole' Buddy," Cool Hand said. "How are things going? Long time, no see."

"Fair at times, not so fair at others but that's show business. Who are your friends? You should introduce them to me, providing athletics did not play too important a part of their misspent youth."

After all had given him their names and assured him that their main interest in sports was watching the cheerleaders and the majorettes, Josh said, "We need to all get together, Cool Hand. I notice that you are calling from Philadelphia, Mississippi. The last report I had on you was that you were in some little town southwest of Birmingham, where that bunch of auto racers are from. You guys aren't over there gambling, are you?"

"We like to think that our unique approach removes the element of chance from the equation," Swede said. "We have a system."

"I have heard that if you are large enough a roller and have a system, they will send a car for you," Josh said.

"What sort of services does your business offer, Josh?" Willy asked.

There was a pause, for the second shoe to drop and Josh replied, "I offer software and technical support for business, inventory, payroll, personnel and whatever other help they may need. Most of my clients are small businesses, ones who cannot afford to keep a squad of nerds on payroll."

"Josh," Buck said and hemmed a bit before continuing. "We would like to meet with you and discuss a business arrangement, a partnership or sorts."

"I get the feeling that this partnership does not have anything to do with computer software. Am I correct? Where are you guys set up?"

"In the same general area, Hueytown," Willy said. "It's easy to find."

"I've been there," Josh said, "just off I-20/59, past all those rusty looking stacks. Well, I've been by there; I didn't actually stop."

"Where can we meet, Josh?" Cool Hand asked. "And when?"

"I have to be in a little town of Boaz, Alabama," he replied, "next Thursday. I have some software to deliver and set up plus another little problem. I will be finished, I hope, by nine or ten o'clock Friday morning. Can you meet me there?"

Buck took a visual vote, all in the affirmative, and said, "Sounds good, Josh. We'll look forward to meeting with you. Keep your cell open. We'll find you."

"There's one other little thing, Cool Hand," Josh said.

"What's that?"

"The blond, you know, the one whose parents owned the cabin. What was her specialty for the cheering team, pom-poms or baton?"

"Pom-poms, Josh," Cool Hand said. "I think batons are used by majorettes."

"I never really learned the subtleties of the game. See you guys, Friday."

Swede unplugged the phone from the laptop speakers and asked, "Is your friend for real, Cool Hand?"

"Oh, yeah. He's the genuine article. What you see, or hear, is what you get."

"Did you guys ever even attend a football game?" Swede said/

"Of course we did," Cool Hand said. "We even watched part of a couple of games. That was where we met the cheerleaders and the majorettes that we helped at the cabin. Actually, it was the safest place to meet with them. Their boyfriends were on the field or in the dressing room."

"Swede and I need to spend some time on site, watching the vault, Buck" Willy said. ''That and to check the location of that third camera. Can you and Cool Hand meet with Josh?"

"No problem. I am sure that Mr. Gable will not feel slighted. Call the girls and ask them if they have gotten enough sun and where they want to meet and grab a sandwich."

Thirty minutes later, after they had checked out, Willy said, "They said to meet them at Wendy's and they have something of interest to show us."

**Wendy's Restaurant on Highway 16****:**

Swede plugged the digital camera into his laptop and clicked through several photos until Susan told him where to stop. "You have seen Walter but take a look at the next photo. It's the princess herself. I can see how she is able to intimidate the young bucks, especially with her particular form of endurance."

"Is she actually a princess?" Buck asked.

"One of the waitresses said so," Gail said. "According to her, she is the favorite granddaughter of the tribal chief"

"Does she have a name or title?" Willy asked.

"She is second in command of resort security," Betty said. "The only name we could get was, I am sure, is one of derision."

"Which is?" Cool Hand asked.

"Princess Iron Pants!" Susan and Gail said in unison and at a whisper and then laughed.

Gail said, "She keeps a fairly constant schedule, according to our waitress, who was actually somewhat sympathetic to her plight, as it was."

"Just what would her plight be," Willy asked. "She is beautiful. Trust me. Most guys dream of meeting girls like this. Well, not us of course."

"You can't lie any better than Buck," Cathy said.

"Neither Buck nor I lie, I'll have you know," Willy said. "We may, from time to time, withhold certain facts or information or otherwise be discrete and/or selective about which of those items should be brought up."

"Prioritizing the facts, we chose to call it," Buck said.

"Yeah, right," Cathy said, realizing that she probably would not win the point. "Lightening could strike.""

Swede said, "You two didn't major in journalism by any chance, did you? In any case, getting back to the topic as hand, if all else fails for her, she could sell this photo as posters. Josh could have his work cut out for him."

"Josh?" Cathy asked. "Who is Josh?""


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**McDonalds in Boaz, Alabama—9:00 A. M.****:**

"Your man Josh should be up and about by now, Cool Hand," Buck said. "No pun intended. See if you can raise him. I'll go in and get us a table, and how does a couple of egg McMuffins sound?"

"De-licious," he replied as he reached back into his car to retrieve his cell phone from the glove box and leaned up against the front fender. "I'll be right in. Get me a large orange juice with that. And coffee!"

Ten minutes later, Cool Hand entered McDonalds, still holding his phone. "Couldn't you locate him?" Buck quizzed, adding the powdered creamer to his coffee.

"As we speak, some sergeant, a deputy of some description has his phone and he wouldn't allow me to talk to him. It seems he has had his one phone call but he did promise that Mr. Gable's lawyer, Joel Harbin, would contact me very shortly."

"Where is he?"

"Just this side of Gadsden, a little town called Riverledge, Ridgeville, or Rockledge, or something like that, about ten or twelve miles from here."

"Is he in any sort of serious trouble?"

"_'Barney Fiffe' _did not elaborate. Maybe Harbin will call soon. Let's eat. I would hate to leave Josh in their hands, even not knowing what the charges are, if any." Cool Hand had scarcely unwrapped his egg McMuffins when the phone rang.

"That was quick," Buck said. "Find out what's up."

"It's Josh. He says he can talk. He told the lawyer that he had to call on an old friend and collect a favor. "Tell me exactly where you are and what the deal is. Just the quick facts." He listened for a few minutes and said, "We have a map and we have dealt with this before. Put you hat in your hand, 'Ol Buddy and we'll do something. See you as soon as we finish breakfast."

"What . . .?" Buck pressed.

"Although he says that he was slightly over the speed limit," Cool Hand said, "he thinks he is about to fall victim to the good 'ol boy speed trap set-up. They are holding his rental, which they have _'searched'_ and his lawyer, who was just too handy for this to have been a coincidence, said he heard one of the deputies mention drugs."

"How much have they taken from him already," Buck asked. "Everything he had, I'll bet."

"He said that he had seven hundred and change," Cool Hand said. "He had just delivered part of a software system to a small business. He now has the change and the lawyer has the seven hundred. They are now doing a records search to check for priors. I didn't think they would release suspects until after they did that. Their man on the computer, some nasty little snot-nose with the call name Conan, is doing the search, or so he was told. He was temporarily released into the custody of his lawyer, who is talking more money."

"Is he innocent?" Buck asked.

"Innocent or not, he will be just as locked up and legally robbed."

"We'll finish this gourmet meal on the road, "Buck said. "The good 'ol boys have already spoiled the ambiance."

"There is one other little problem," Cool Hand said.

"Which is?"

"Remember that little episode I revealed to you guys?" he asked. Buck nodded. "Well, do you also remember the _'Hero-Captain-Of-The-Football-Team'_? You can now add Chief of Police to his title."

Buck dropped his head and mumbled, "Damn!"

"We do have a bit of good news there," Cool Hand said.

"What would that be? Only half of his thug co-captains are there and that the rubber hose has been outlawed?"

"He was not on duty when Josh was arrested, so for now, he doesn't know about him. Josh saw a picture on his desk that the nerd was using while he was off but he will be back in late this afternoon. And. . .he's married to the Mayor's daughter."

"They didn't catch her _'talking'_ to Josh, did they?"

"My man is totally innocent of that, but he thinks that they followed him from a hotel where they probably could have interrupted a lengthy conversation."

"We had better roll. It's his neck but even I can feel the noose getting smaller."

Twenty-five minutes later they located Josh and his lawyer at a service station, inside, drinking coffee at the small convenience store diner. "Mr. Harbin," Cool Hand said, "before speaking to Josh, I want you to know that we appreciate everything you are doing to help our friend. My name is George Custer and this is Harrison Shaw."

The lawyer smiled briefly and nodded but then put on a face of concern. Josh and Cool Hand shook hands and Cool Hand quickly introduced Swede. The lawyer then said, "Mr. Custer, I will not pretend that the actual offenses are of a serious enough nature to warrant the litigation that can sometimes follow. The problem is that the authorities here are, while not really warranted, within legal bounds. I doubt that they can make the implied charges concerning the drugs stick. The fact that Mr. Gable was driving a rented car and has assured me that he has not touched anything inside the trunk, where the small amount of drugs were reported to have been found, is in our favor."

"Do you think you can get him off?" Buck said. "It's extremely important that Mr. Gable not have the slightest blemish on his record. The project for which my company wants to hire Mr. Gable is of a sensitive nature. It deals with security, **serious** security. I am not at liberty to discuss it any further other than to say that to replace him at his late date would delay and seriously hamper our efforts and leave the field open to our competition." "How well funded is your company, Mr. Shaw? the lawyer asked. "Sometimes, these matters, especially in small towns such as this, the authorities tend to rankle if they feel that big city lawyers are trying to legally hustle them."

"We have no lawyers," Buck said, "big city or otherwise, other than the ones we hire from time to time. I imagine that you are engaged under the same circumstances, having located in a small town."

"There is an advantage of sorts to being one of only two lawyers in town. I do know the players, adversarial as they are at times."

"We prefer that you handle the matter for us, Mr. Harbin," Buck said. "And if it can be handled, legally of course, so that the matter will not be in any records. I'm sorry. That choice of words was unwise. We just need the matter to go away. As far as funding is concerned. . .well, you are looking at almost half of assets, which are people. The funds are personal funds; we are driving our personal automobiles, as you can see."

"We don't want to suggest anything to you, Mr. Harbin," Cool Hand said, "because we know that you are capable of handling any legal complications that may arise. We are just glad, and feel fortunate, that you were on hand."

"If you gentlemen will excuse me for a few minutes," the lawyer said, "I will see if some arrangements can be made."

The lawyer walked from the diner with his cell phone to his ear. "Brace yourselves, guys," Buck said. "This is about where he finds out how _'serious'_ the situation really is and what it will cost to make it go away, or at least, never come up. Did he deposit the money you gave him, Josh?"

"He said he did. Yes," Josh replied. "How much more will it be?"

"A lot more than they already have," Buck said. "You have your kit with you, don't you Cool Hand."

"It's in the trunk. I'll get it."

"Your kit?" Josh asked.

"It's a bank training program," Cool Hand said. "We use it to train tellers and to hold training seminars for people who do on line banking."

"I've heard about it, or some like it," Josh said. "Nothing I have compares to it."

"Only banks have it," Cool Hand replied. "Of course, none of them have this version. This version has been 'upgraded', so to speak. We need to get it onto one of their computers. It will call up data on any account from any bank account and insert it into the program, which, after the account data is accessed, is connected to nothing. It looks like the real thing but it is only a training device. All of the screens are the same, well most of them are. It allows the trainee to work with a real account except that no actual transactions can be made."

"And the trainee has to enter a real PIN, his or her own, in order to get the account data," Buck said. "If the trainee does not have an account to access, the program will give provide one for the sake of the practice session. Your lawyer and his friends will have to provide the numbers to their accounts."

"I gave him **cash**," Josh said. "Seven hundred dollars."

"Which he deposited," Cool Hand said. "Right? I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that when he comes back, he will say that the only way to defuse the problem is to do something shady and that it will cost more than we have. The only way that we will be able to pay them is to access our personal account by way of electronic transfer. I'll have Willy standing by on the other end, providing the necessary prompts. He will also be reading any information that they put into the program."

"Willy is a fair man, though," Buck said. "He will give them something in return for the information. They won't like it but then they won't know about it."

"And then we get out of town as fast as possible," Josh said. "Correct?"

"We shouldn't smoke the tires until we have rounded the corner," Buck said. "It will make it look as though we are fleeing the scene."

"I, for one, am ready to flee this scene," Josh said. "I have lost enough here already."

"With a little luck, we'll get it back," Buck said. "Get Willy ready. Here comes your protector, Josh."

"I have some good news and some bad news, gentlemen," the lawyer said.

"We need good news," Josh said.

"The clerk is willing to erase the record. . .but. . ."

"But?" Josh moaned.

"He can be influenced," the lawyer said, "but his tastes exceeds his means."

"Just how mean are his tastes?" Buck asked.

'I don't like it, gentlemen. He wants $3000.00."

Buck clenched his teeth and said, "That is robbery!" No one spoke for a full minute. "I'm sorry. I don't want to accuse. You have been more than helpful and are probably putting yourself at risk professionally as well. We may have a couple or three hundred in cash but the rest will have to be transferred electronically. We will need a few minutes on a computer to set up the transfer, in confidence. Can we do this as quickly as possible. Mr. Custer is trying to rearrange our schedule now."

"Yes, of course, Mr. Shaw," the lawyer said, "and again, I apologize. If you will come with me to the police station, we will be able to handle this quietly. Most of the crew there are either out on duty or at lunch."

"Put on your '_whipped puppy face_'," Buck said to Josh and Cool Hand as they left the diner.

There was a Conan figurine on the desk of the clerk, who was the one Cool Hand had referred to as the snot-nose nerd. Cool Hand said, "Cool. I am a fan, myself. May I have a minute or two?"

The clerk excused himself and Cool Hand began loading the bank practice program. Buck and Josh assumed a shielding position so that so that Cool Hand could search for a password. "Are you there, Willy?" The word _'Ready' _came on screen. "I need a password, Willy. Fast? His call name is Conan!"

Cool Hand waited at the keyboard while Buck and Josh shuffled about. Josh picked up the figurine, turned it upside down and said, "Barbarian." The word coincided with Willy's guess.

"We have him, Willy," Cool Hand said. "I would have thought that _'Barbarian'_ would have been taken. It is; Conan has it! The 'transfer' should be for $2700.00. Get the clerk and the lawyer."

The two men returned with soft drinks in hand for all and handed them out. If you will access your account, the transfer can be made. Cool Hand stepped away from the front of the computer and to the other side of the room so that the clerk could enter his number in 'private'. The lawyer said, "Allow me."

"The clerk asked, "How did you get those numbers? That is **my** number. . .and the Mayor's!"

"And the Chief of Police's as well," the lawyer said. "I just want to see what they have in their fund." The two men looked at the screen for a moment and the lawyer said, "It's just as I thought; we are getting junior partner shares but let it go for now. And don't ask how I got the numbers." He smiled, patted the younger man on the shoulder and said, using one of the more overused phrases around today, "If I told you, I would have to kill you."

The screen prompt asked for the account numbers to which the deposit was to be made. The clerk said, "You do the honors. You have all the numbers."

The lawyer motioned to Buck to return to the desk where they were situated. Buck said, "Gentlemen, I will not pretend that this has been a pleasure because it hasn't. But despite the situation, we do appreciate your handling of this matter. Please assure us that this will not jump up in the middle of the night to haunt any of us." He handed the clerk the $300.00, without a smile. "What's done is done. What is special at the diner?"

The clerk folded the money, stuffed it into his shirt pocket and said, "Nothing. But the grilled chicken is edible. It's is on special, price-wise."

"For little things, we should be grateful," Cool Hand said.

"And gentlemen," the lawyer said, "it is as though the three of you have never been here! If you should ever require my services. . .well, here is my card."

In the parking lot, Josh asked, "Have we rounded the corner yet? I am ready to smoke the tires, big time."

"I have the same urge but let's tiptoe a little longer," Buck said. "We should try the chicken at the diner. Maybe the nerd's taste buds are just not as compatible to blue plate specials as mine are."

"It has to be better than what they would have served at the jail," Cool Hand said. "but then, It could be from the same menu."

Halfway through the much talked about chicken, Cool Hand's eyes became fixed on three men entering the diner. One was Joel Harbin, the lawyer, one was a man dressed in a business suit, to whom the waitress said, "It's good to see you again, Mr. Mayor. "I have the book you asked about. Come on back to the office and I will get it for you." He followed her from the dining area without noticing the trio.

"The third man, over six feet tall, wearing a police uniform did notice them as did the lawyer; he only observed them casually at first, as he would any strangers in town. Cool Hand said, speaking softly, "Josh! Is that who I think it is?"

"It is!" he replied. "And I don't see a corner to slip behind."

The lawyer, not really anxious to speak to Buck, Cool Hand and Josh again, followed the police officer to their table. "I thought you gentlemen had left," he said, looking around to see if the Mayor was in the room."

"Well," the officer said, "of all people to run into. It's the cleaning crew, Mr. Harbin. Do you think we can find some work for them at the jail? I hear they are experts. Are these the three you told me about? Maybe we should recheck the priors, don't you think?"

"Mr. Gable's lawyer, here," Buck said, nodding toward Harbin, "has assured us that there are no charges pending, that Mr. Gable was free to go. Isn't that right, Mr. Harbin?"

"Yes, of course, Mr. Shaw," the lawyer said, placing himself in front of the officer. "I have told them that he is free to leave, that the matter has been cleared up."

"Has he paid the fine?"

"Yes," Harbin said. "And you should not concern yourself with them. They should be allowed to leave. Let's not involve the Mayor by creating a public incident into which he will have to insert himself."

"You have just been given the best advice you will ever receive, Gable. You know what will happen if you hang around here, don't you?"

"Yeah," Josh said, starting to stand up but returned to his seat at Buck's urging, "I will do the same thing to you that I did to your girl friend."

"Oh, God," Buck said under his breath, but before he could interject himself, the officer had a powerful grip on Josh's right wrist.

Josh calmly entrapped the larger man's hand with his left hand and twisted his right hand around and grasped his attacker's wrist. The officer was surprised, shocked and embarrassed. He was also in a great deal of pain as he eased down on his knees."

The lawyer, obviously concerned about the altercation and the possible involvement of the Mayor, said, "Gentlemen! Please! You should leave! Now! Before this gets out of control."

Buck tapped Josh on the arm, urging him to release the larger man. There were only two other diners present and they had not really seen what was occurring. Josh smiled and released his grip. Cool Hand placed two bills on the table and took Josh by the arm and they left before the officer regained his composure. The lawyer hurried him to a table across the room.

"So much for tiptoeing for a second round," Josh said, looking back at the diner.

"Give me the keys to your rental, Josh," Buck said, "and drop me off back at the police station. You ride with Cool Hand and follow me back to Boaz. You can catch up on old times. And give me you laptop, Cool Hand. I want to check my mail, and Joe's."

"This is like old times, isn't it, Cool Hand," Josh said smiling.

"A couple of our more stupid exploits come to mind", Cool Hand said. "Yes, it does."

When Cool Hand and Josh pulled in behind Buck at Hardee's in Boaz, Buck had the trunk open and was holding one of Josh's bags. "Where did you rent this," Buck asked as they were transferring his luggage and personal items to Cool Hand's car. Budget? Enterprise?"

"Budget. Where are we going?"

"My guess is that your friend will have this car on the look-for list. I'll drop it off at Budget while you make your software delivery. Pick me up there and we will talk."

Buck had just finished checking the mail and talking on-line with Willy when they pulled into the Budget lot. He got into the back seat and said, "How does a cup of coffee sound?" Cool Hand pulled out of the lot and Buck said, "Was the officer, the football hero person, as large as you remember him?"

"Larger. But I suppose we have gained on him, a little."

"You handled yourself alright, tactically speaking," Buck said. "Where did you learn that move?"

"I watch _'Walker, Texas Ranger'_." Josh replied, "and I pay attention."

"I watch it, too," Buck said, "but I concentrate less on the gratuitous physical violence and more on the intellectual aspects such as the cleverly constructed plots and the award winning acting performances. What about you, Cool Hand? You're a _Walker_ fan aren't you"

"It does have a broad viewer appeal. Personally, I watch it strictly for the babes!"

"I know from watching you two rape that computer system that you do not want to buy any software from me or to seek my help with computers. You have rescued me so I belong to you for at least a day. What's the deal?"

"We're in luck," Buck said. "There is a bank next to a Hardee's. Get me something cold to drink while I get our money back. Show Josh some of the videos and photos we have, especially the ones of the princess."

Buck was welcomed with a double large Diet Coke as he handed Josh an envelope with fourteen one hundred dollar bills in it. He said, "Fair is fair! They took $700.00 from you. You should return the favor. Here is yours also, Cool Hand."

Josh fingered the bills and said, "I should probably add pillaging and robbery to rape. Won't they find out about the missing money?"

"Oh, yeah," Buck said, after taking a sip from the oversized plastic cup. "But they will find most of their ill-gotten gains in the account of one Mr. Joel Harbin."

"You guys are evil," Josh said. "You rescue me, get my money back, with interest, and show me a picture of a queen, or did you say she was a princess? No matter. If you have gone to these lengths, whatever your scheme is, it will probably pay better than peddling software."

"You should hear us out before you commit," Cool Hand said, "You may opt to go back down the road."

"Speaking of roads," Buck said, "I have plotted us a course to Paducah. Wayne has a couple of specialty vehicles to show us. By the way, Willy and Swede are on their way to Choctaw for some surveillance and Cathy is working this weekend to build up some comp time. There is nothing new on Joe's e-mail."

"Paducah?" Josh asked, with raised brow and closed eyes. "As in Kentucky? Start from the front, guys."

"After twenty minutes of explanation, frequently interrupted when other customers were in probable earshot, and several viewings and reviewings of the videos, Josh said, "Let me get this straight. You plan to get into an impenetrable vault that is being constantly viewed on video, a vault that is protected with enough armed guards to invade Lower Alabama, switch a ton of one hundred dollar bills with bogus ones, roll it out the door and then drive away with it. Correct?"

"That's about it," Cool Hand said. "What do you think?" "I think that the princess will throw me out and not even listen to my software sales pitch, let alone associate with me long enough for me to track her activities and certainly not long enough to become part of them."

"We're still working on some of the details," Buck said.

"You guys are not only evil, you're dangerous. And insane. Count me in!"


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**I-24, East of Paducah, Kentucky, 6:00 P. M.****:**

"Where are we, guys?" Buck asked, from the rear seat. "I guess I dozed off for a few minutes, off and on, that is."

"Tell me, Cool Hand," Josh said. "Is Buck's wife deaf? She has to be if she can sleep while that sawmill is running."

"We have been telling you, 'Ol Buddy," Cool Hand said. "You are lucky Gail hasn't smothered you in your sleep, or shot you. Nobody would ever hear the gunshot. We entered McCracken County ten minutes ago when I got Wayne on the phone and he told us to come to West Paducah. He and Shirley were at their theater and C. T., who also wants to meet with Josh, is having an early dinner date with Mary. He will call us back no later than 7:30."

"Wayne and C. T. are trying to get acting jobs for the commercial through. . .what is it? . .The Great Gavins?" Josh asked.

"Close enough," Buck said. "You guys made good time." He looked at his watch and said, "Good grief, we must have been flying. It's taken only five hours."

"Five hours plus," Cool Hand said. "There was a lot of interstate driving. I asked Wayne to suggest a place for supper and he said that we should grab a sandwich and he will call us as soon as he drops Shirley off, back at their little theater. He doesn't want her and Mary involved yet so he and C. T. arranged for them to be at some rehearsal. He seemed to be in a hurry."

"Wayne and C. T. invented the whistle device," Josh said. "Right?"

"Wayne '_discovered'_ it by accident," Cool Hand said. "He is a modest fellow."

"I have already had two fast food meals interrupted today," Buck said. "I don't think one more will disrupt my delicate digestive system. By the way, do the girls know where we are?"

"I called Gail and Betty over three hours ago," Cool Hand said. "You were asleep."

"How does Mexican sound?" Josh asked, as Cool Hand's cell phone rang.

"It's Wayne," Cool Hand said. He listened for a minute and said, "No, but we haven't had the cell on all the time. We're about to stop at a Mexican restaurant, close to where you said you would meet us. Do you know where I'm talking about? Then we will see you and C. T. in. . .what? . . .thirty minutes?" He listened for another moment and added, "Okay, fifteen minutes. We'll make it fast Mexican."

"Has something come up?" Buck asked.

"Seems so. Wayne's little group has been given some roles in the commercial."

"That's good, isn't it?" Josh asked.

"Yes and no," Cool Hand said. "While the organization is legitimate, on the surface, that is. They have all the licenses but he can't afford to have any of the youngsters involved, in case the plan goes south. He now doesn't have any _'actors'_ that he can use."

"What about the trucks?" Buck asked.

"He says that they are ready and believes the deal he offered the filming companies is why he got the bid. Whichever company gets the contract to make the commercial will have an armored truck as a prop virtually for free. He is anxious for us to see them."

"He must be," Josh said, "to suggest you make a five hour drive just to see them. You say that he sent bids to. . .four filming companies?. . .How does tacos and refried beans sound?"

"One to each of the companies bidding to the casino, and tacos are my favorite choice for supper," Buck said. "This trip should have taken six hours, maybe six and a half. We're lucky we didn't get stopped for speeding. Do Shirley and Mary know about the roles?"

"He didn't say," Cool Hand replied, "but let's eat buffet style in case he gets here early.

"If he gets here earlier than the fifteen minutes," Buck said, "he can join us or wait. The four bites of chicken I had for dinner have vanished."

"I thought this was dinner," Josh said.

"It would be if Cool Hand was eating with his fancy banker friends but since it is just plain folk like you and me, it's supper. Dinner is the noon meal."

Cool Hand burst into mild laughter and said, "Speaking of whom, my banker friends, that is. . .make that associates, they would be pulling their hair out trying to keep up with just what in the world we are talking about half the time, jumping from topic to topic, virtually in mid-sentence."

"Do you remember Mrs. Holt, our English/grammar teacher, Cool Hand?" Josh asked. "Well, if we were to expose her to some of our dialogue, she would be pulling hair too, except that it would be ours. She would snatch us bald-headed."

They had just finished eating when Wayne came in. "Sorry to be late, guys." Buck and Cool Hand got up as though to leave when he shook hands with Josh and he added, "Relax. We're not in that much of a hurry. I'll get myself a glass of tea and join you."

"Where is your friend, C. T.?" Josh asked. "I was hoping to meet him as well."

"He will meet us at the shop, actually at the garage next to our shop. We were thinking about expanding our operations. We have the two trucks in there where nobody can see them. How was the trip? No problems I hope."

"None," Cool Hand said. "Your directions were very good."

"That's good," Wayne said, "but I was concerned about you car. When you called, I keep hearing a sound like the engine was not running right, a rather odd sound for a car.

"The car was running just '_fine_', Mr. Gavin," Buck said. "I am going to get another taco or two."

Cool Hand opened his mouth, closed his eyes, and pretended to be sleeping as he pointed to Buck's back as he walked toward the serving table for seconds. Wayne smiled and asked, "Have you met Willy and Swede, Josh?"

"Only to speak with them over the phone. My high school buddy, Cool Hand here and the illustrious Mr. William Edward "Buck" Huston pulled my fat from the fire earlier today. You should cut our man a little slack. He needs his sleep." They were smiling when Buck returned.

"I have photos of the trucks, here," Wayne said, handing them to Buck, "but you will need to examine them up close in order to appreciate the subtle features. How are the tacos?"

"They are very good," Buck said, "and they give me less gas and grief than my so-called friends do at times. The trucks look good, too, Wayne. Very good! Why don't I wrap these tacos in napkins to go and let's get a live look at them? That is, if everybody is ready."

"When did you get the word on your bid, Wayne?" Cool Hand asked. "We haven't checked the mail for several hours."

"A couple of hours ago. Filming, or taping, will begin in twenty-two days, three weeks from tomorrow, on Saturday. That gives us a deadline, guys!"

"I'll ride with Wayne," Buck said as Cool Hand paid the check. "We'll be outside. What are you going to do about actors, Wayne?" Buck asked .

"Fortunately, they won't have to do any acting, just appear before the camera, even if they were to get chosen to be shown on the commercial. Most people don't realize just how scarce, and precious, a little camera time is to somebody trying to get into the business."

"Have you ever been on television or anything that was filmed and viewed by the public? They're behind us; we can go. I'm anxious to see what you have done with the trucks."

"Not only have I never been in any of those productions, I don't want to be. Hang a right at the next light and go for a mile and a half. One of the kids told us how he had spent the entire day at a dog show, hoping to get on camera while the judges looked a collie. He wasn't going to be on camera unless the cameraman just happened to show him. All day, he had spent under the hot sun, tending to fancy dogs only to loose his few seconds on camera to some poodle. And to make it worse, the kid didn't even get lunch for his efforts. At the next drive, turn right. C. T. is already here."

C. T. had the door open to the front of the shop. The adjacent building, a corrugated metal addition to their shop, was dark. "You must be Josh," he said, extending his hand. "Come on into this house. How was the Mexican?"

"It was good," Josh replied, looking first at the office, in the corner of the spacious interior, and then at the vehicles parked inside. "We were hungry. Lunch was interrupted and we only snacked coming here. Buck didn't even have a snack."

C. T. unlocked the door joining the two double-bay buildings and turned on the lights, including two overhead spots that placed the trucks in center stage. The others followed him and Josh inside. Nobody said anything but only gazed at the massive looking vehicles, with the Wells-Fargo logos, like two magical ships upon which they would ride into adventure. "Does Mr. Fargo know that two of his trucks are missing," Buck asked. **"I am impressed!"**

Cool Hand walked over to one of the trucks and reached to open the rear door only to be stopped by Wayne, who said, "We don't touch the trucks without gloves. It's probably overkill but we don't want to run the risk since we don't know what will happen to them or who will have the magnifying glass and fine tooth combs in case somebody should hereafter have some dumb questions."

C. T. smiled, obviously as proud of the conversion as Wayne, and extended a box of cotton gloves for the group to use. "When we finished," he said, "we spent a full day wiping every surface we could find with WD-40. And those gloves should fit better than O. J.'s". He smiled again.

Josh, gloved, opened the rear door and said, "Oh, my God! That looks like just like real money."

C. T. beamed with pride and asked, "What do you think, Josh. . .about the plan, that is? Do you think it will work?"

"If I may repeat the words of the leader of the cavalry that arrived just in the nick of time today," Josh replied as he continued to examine the _'armored'_ truck, "I am impressed. With a capital **"I"**, I am impressed! They are virtually identical, even to the license plates. Is that a good idea?"

"Everything hinges on our being able to get into the vault," Buck said, "and that is a very long shot. If we cannot get the role of the lucky player this time, we will go with plan "B", which is to use the lotto slot machine numbers.

"That's right," Josh said, still admiring the vehicles and the work done by Wayne and C. T., "you have the winning numbers. That's amazing. But you don't want just the partial payout, do you? That is a lot of money, itself."

"**We** have the numbers, Josh Boy," Wayne said. "That includes you."

"Swede is working on the details with the cameras," Buck said, "but let's assume that we do make it that far and can blind them temporarily and make the switch. The real money will be on the dolly that is rolled through the casino, right passed the very serious guards, who will think that it is the casino's phony, theatrical stage money."

"Everything can be aborted up to that point," Cool Hand said, "and we walk away and go with the lotto slot machine. But once we make the switch, we will have the tiger by the tail. The money will be placed into the van that will be driven by Wayne and C. T. They already have their roles secured."

"We will ham it up for the cameras if they will allow it," Wayne said. "They expect it. We will then drive the _'winner'_ away from the casino with the money. Buck will be in the lot, in a motor home sporting an awning with enclosures on three sides, large enough to conceal one of the trucks, namely the one you are looking at, with our phony cash inside."

"I will then open up both ends of the awning," Buck said, "and pull the truck out with our phony cash in it and Wayne will pull under the awning with the real stuff."

"Wayne and I will then return to the front of the casino," C. T. said, "and make our presence known. Meantime, Buck will be busy making the conversion."

"The conversion?" Josh asked. "Watch this," Wayne said. "Buck, remove the wheel covers from the van." Wayne and C. T. began removing panels from the truck. "The panels," he said, "are made of a combination of styrofoam and magnetic stick-ons, strong ones."

C. T. reached inside the cab and released the air pressure on the customized shocks and the truck lowered itself by three inches. Within five minutes, the once shinning _'armored truck'_ became a dull, plain looking panel truck with a stick-on sign that advertised home repair.

"Once again, I am impressed," Buck said. "The pull-off wheel covers look like real wheels and large heavy duty tires."

"C. T. molded them to fit the wheel and tires you now see," Wayne said. "Now we won't have to bother with a jack and an impact, which could attract attention. Be careful to match them to the correct wheel. They are marked

"My job will be easier as well," he replied. "The quick releases help also. I will then drive off with the money, to a rented mini-storage in Hueytown," Buck said, "where it will stay for a while, under our more than casual surveillance."

"You are going to do all this in a busy parking lot?" Josh asked. "And nobody will see you?"

"Negative vibes," Cool Hand said. "Don't make me do the chant!"

"The chant?"

"Don't ask," Buck said. "Don't ask."

"With the _'smaller'_ tires on the van," C. T. said, "Buck will drive away and whoever rides with him will conceal the real money inside the hidden panels in the van. The armored truck facade panels will be placed inside the motor home, which is where they will remain with the large wheels, for now, until we set up." He opened the rear doors, smiled, climbed inside and said, "Watch this!" He opened panels on the sides and floor, revealing spaces for the money. When he had placed the twenty five bundles into the hidden spaces, he closed the panels, leaving an _'empty'_ truck.

"Do we have a motor home?" Josh asked. "And the rented storage?"

"We have one located," Buck said. "Swede and Willy are preparing the _'proper'_ IDs for the purchase as well as for the rental of the mini-storage units. We need to make sure that the motorhome is large enough as well as the mini-garage that we will store the vans in. And we need one unit on each side of the one we will park the van in., just in case somebody gets curious. If we can get an end unit, we will need only two. If not, we will have to rent three. We'll fill the adjacent ones with old furniture or something."

"And," Wayne said, "we will need an old warehouse, large enough to store both the motor home and the trucks from sight. It will need to be as close to the casino as possible and it should have no windows, so we can practice making the conversions. Whoever rents this one should be the good 'ol boy, home town type. We don't want to attract the attention of any locals who may think that we are up to no good."

"How much has this cost so far?" Josh asked. "And where is the money coming from, the whistle device?"

"I don't have an exact amount," Cool Hand said, "and that is not good for someone who is a banker but we don't intend to keep records on this, anyway. My guess is at least one hundred fifty thousand. Do you agree, Wayne?"

"Yeah, that's close. I have spent most of it myself, on the vehicles. The only other big hit was for the pick-up device, which I probably paid too much for, but the guy was in a real bind but he's hooked now. We'll definitely have to blow the whistle a few more times."

"I won't ask if the device actually works," Josh said. "It obviously does work, and very well but I still want see it in action. It would be nice to have the advantage instead of knowing the casinos have it."

"Unless you need the sleep," Wayne said, "you can do that tonight. Well, actually, early in the morning. That is where you are headed when you leave here, isn't it? To the Star and the Moon?"

"Yes," Buck said. "How far is to there? Three hundred fifty miles?" "About that," C. T. said. "It should take seven to seven and a half hours—an hour to the Tennessee line and about two and half hours across Tennessee to Mississippi and four and a half to five hours on to Philadelphia, or Choctaw, if you prefer.

"Sounds like you have made the trip a couple of times yourself, C. T." Josh said.

"We have done that and we are going to make one to Tunica tomorrow. The funds are getting low. We had to start paying Shirley and Mary for their time at the Great Gavin Players. They were downsized due to some cutbacks in the county."

"They seem talented enough, C. T.," Buck said. "They can get another job easy enough.

"I think the reason they were selected to be downsized was due to the time they were spending with the theater group anyway," Wayne said. "They weren't all that serious about their work anyway. They now think they are working for a program funded by the government."

"Then they don't know about the whistle device?" Josh asked. "How have you kept the fact from them, I mean about the financing of the program? Weren't they doing much of the clerical work?"

"Fancy foot work, Josh Boy." Wayne said. "Fancy foot work. We told them that all correspondence between us and the government agency had to be on a person to person basis, that our operation was provisional and was not officially authorized. We'll handle it. You guys have your ends to hold up."

"You could do what Cool Hand and Swede did," Buck said, "and marry them. That way they can't testify against you."

"I'm not convinced that they even want to get married," C. T. said. "Your friend Cathy said that they do but I don't know. Have you met Cathy, Josh?"

"No, and I think that she is working this weekend, accumulating comp time to use when we make the attempt."

"She is a nice lady, and a babe," Wayne said. "She is getting the uniforms we will need for the big performance."

"Uniforms?"

"Security uniforms, like the ones they wear at the Star and the Moon and probably even some police uniforms as well."

"Isn't that risky? Won't the real personnel know that we aren't supposed to have them? They would spot an impostor in a heartbeat."

"It will be just for the work on the commercial. They will know about it. Our group will secure all the necessary passes for that. We will even have stage guns. They won't as much as fire blanks. In fact, the triggers won't even move. I am considering using us for the actors since we can't involve any of the kids in the program."

"I have about finished here," Buck said. "I think we have enough dimensions to work with. Have you picked up on anything in Joe's mail, Wayne?"

"The Nerd did mention something about another cruise in one e-mail to him and the big Indian, Walter, I think you said his name was. It was to remind him of the upcoming commercial. He didn't mention a date. I got that from the filming company. We'll keep an eye on them. You guys do the same and make sure that the garage or whatever you rent in Philadelphia is large enough for all the vehicles and to practice the conversion in private."

"I'll get Willy and Swede involved in the search for the garage and the mini storage units in Philadelphia," Buck said. "I already have some mini storage units located in Hueytown, ones that will be easy to observe and keep a check on. All I need is the ID, again from Willy, and I can rent them. I also have a motor home in mind."

"Cathy said that she needs a letter from somebody at the casino, actually a copy of a letter head," Wayne said. "I have letters from them about the request we made from the theater group. You should make up some copies from it so that she can have _'authentic'_ requests from them for the uniforms. I believe that the letters have both Walter's and the female's signature. That should be enough to work with."

"The female?" Josh asked. "No. 2, you mean, right?"

"Yes," C. T. said, "and you should e-mail a request to them for an appointment. One or both of them will handle it."

"We are ready to roll," Buck said. "I'll drive to the Mississippi line. Okay?"

"Just one thing," Josh said. "I would like to know more about the chant, or whatever you were talking about."

"Swede is the one who trained with the holy man," Buck said. "Only he is capable of summoning the right spirits. He'll handle your instructions in that department."


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**Holiday Inn, Philadelphia, Mississippi: Saturday, 8:30 A. M.**:

"How was the drive," Swede asked. "Long?"

"It was that," Buck said, "but not a bad drive. We appreciate your getting the rooms for us. Josh and Cool Hand should be down in a few minutes. Have you seen what Wayne and C. T. did with the trucks?"

"Just the pictures, "Willy said, "but they looked good."

"The pictures don't do them justice," Buck said, "and when Josh saw the money, I thought he was going to load it up and drive away with it. Here come the sleeping beauties, now." He motioned for the waitress to bring menus and more coffee.

"Will you be ordering from the menu or the buffet?" she asked. "I'll give you a few minutes to decide. If you want the buffet, just help yourself. If you want the menu, just signal." The group nodded as she filled their cups.

"You should have woke us up, Buck," Josh said. "That was a long drive for one person. You drove us right to the front of the room and then we got a full night's sleep."

"You have been under a lot of stress the last couple of days," Buck said. "You need to be fresh and alert when you meet prospective clients."

After a brief introduction, Swede said, "You do look a lot like the actor who played Shane."

Josh put on his best tough guy face and said, from the corner of his mouth with as menacing a voice as he could muster, "You speaking tu me?" All at the table smiled and Josh added, "I hope that this plan doesn't call for me to do any fighting like what followed that line. We could be in deep doo-doo if it does. More importantly, **I** could be in deep doo-doo"

"You do very well in that department," Buck said. "And you do that line very well."

"I got lucky yesterday and my dumb reaction was born of several years of festering anger. It's gone now. But hunger from the lack of food due to interruptions lingers. I think I will take the breakfast buffet; it's quicker."

"Take a look at these dimensions, Willy," Buck said. "We need to have a pull down awning on the motor home that will completely conceal the truck. Are my sketches good enough. I allowed three feet all around for work space. Is that enough?"

"They are fine!" Willy said, "and I think I know where we can rent a garage large enough."

"Where is Trixie?" Buck said. "Josh should meet her. And Cathy."

"She is having a _'breakfast'_ meeting with the Indian, Walter," Swede said. "Cathy probably won't be over here until this coming Friday or Saturday. She is building up a few days of comp time plus she is working up the orders for the uniforms. We need to get with her for the fittings. Wayne said that he gave you some letter heads to duplicate."

"Yes, and he and C. T. are probably at Tunica, as we eat and speak, refilling our coffers."

"Speaking of coffers," Josh said, "again, thanks to you guys, mine is not at empty as they would have been had you not shown up when you did."

"How are you fixed for free time?" Willy asked. "Your part in this could keep you busy."

"I'm self-employed. I can work out of my apartment/office or a motel room most of the time. All I need is to be able to get on-line and check my mail, but what if the female, the one you call the princess, is not the sociable type? What will my part be then?"

"Then you get to lift heavy things, fetch stuff, what ever," Cool Hand said. "The same thing we all do whenever heavy things need to be lifted or stuff needs to be fetched."

"When will Cathy need the measurements for the uniforms?" Swede asked.

"She said that she needs to have them by next Friday," Cool Hand said.

"Tell you guys what," Willy said. "I'll grill a bunch of steaks and have the rest of the meal catered. . . for. . . Thursday? Can everybody be there?"

"Sounds good," Buck said. "Call Trixie; she needs to be there, too. We can make it an all-parties info/training supper. If we call it an info/training _'dinner'_ and serve martinis, I wonder if we can we deduct it on our income tax? Nah. Swede, why don't you and Cool Hand show Josh how the whistle works while Willy and I check out the garage. You do have the _'proper'_ ID, don't you?"

"I do," Willy said, holding up a small leather pack, "I never leave home without them. And Josh, did you e-mail your request for a meeting? Trixie said that she was told that security will now be screening all such requests and only on weekends. She overheard Walter mumble something to the effect that it is part of the cross-training of personnel at the resort. If you don't get in this weekend, you may have to wait a week. And before I forget, you do have my, and everybody's address. Right?"

"And a map book along with phone numbers and I'll check in at the office about the appointment," Josh said. "We don't have a week to spare. Now show me how I can get back some of the money I have left with these gambling establishments over the last several years."

Swede and Cool Hand, with one of the high frequency whistles well concealed, steered Josh to a progressive Blazing 7's machine where he was able to _'win'_ just under eighteen hundred fifty dollars, after fifty-five dollars state tax. "Not bad," he said to himself.

Without acknowledging that he was even acquainted with either Swede or Cool Hand, he waited for an attendant to come to his machine and pay him and then made his way to the casino office where he learned that his e-mail had been received. He was also told that if he wished to meet with someone today that he would have until 2:00 P. M. to meet with her.

"Her?" he inquired.

"Yes," the secretary said. "Ms. Warington. Charlene Warington, and I would suggest that you hurry. She is scheduled to be unavailable for. . ." She hesitated for a moment as she checked a computer screen and then added, "Two, possibly three days, and she receives salesmen only on weekends. I would hurry or make another appointment."

"I don't really have an appointment," he said. "Where is her office?"

"She isn't in her office. This is Saturday. She. . ." Again she checked, this time a yellow stick-em note, and said, "The Water Park, in the indoor pool area. Do you know where it is?"

"Sorry, no. Do you have a layout of the facilities?"

"Just ride the shuttle from the guest arrival area. They leave every twenty minutes."

Under the covered passenger unloading area, Swede saw Josh and pulled up to where he was waiting for the shuttle. "Hop in," he said. "Where is you meeting?"

"At the Water Park but I need to pick up my bag at the motel. The rest of my things are in Willy's car. If I don't see him or get him on the phone, have him take them to his house."

"How are you getting to Willy's place?" Cool Hand asked. "A rental?"

"Probably. I need to see or at least contact a couple of customers before Thursday. I can call them while we ride, one of them, anyway. I thought you were going to observe the vault this afternoon."

"As soon as we can set up, we are," Swede said. "We plan to take turns watching tonight and leave early in the morning. I have some more work to do on the virtual vault program. The receiver and laptops are in Buck's van."

"We talk about this as though we are assured of being able to get into place to pull it off," Josh said. "What if we can't?"

"If you keep trying to be logical and sensible by asking questions like that, "Cool Hand said, "you will have to learn the chant." "Here we are at the motel," Swede said. "Get your bag and we'll check everybody out. Then we'll tune up for the chant." Swede and Cool Hand began the ridiculous humming as Josh got out of the car, with a bewildered expression on his face."

"Josh returned to the car ten minutes later and said, "Some man who works here called me Mr. Wilkinson. I wonder why he thinks that is my name."

Swede held up the receipt for the room, pointed to the name on it and said, "That would be you, Mr. Wilkinson. It says so on your receipt."

"Buck said that I should not ask about the chant," Josh said. "I'll add to that all inquiries about identification. However, I do have one question."

"Which is?" Swede asked.

What did Willy send to the clerk at Ridgeville? You said that he had something for them or something to that effect?"

"In addition to retrieving our money," Cool Hand said, "and rearranging the balance of their several accounts, at about 9:00 A. M. Monday, that little town's municipal computer system is set to receive what we refer to Willy's special computer cocktail, a combination of viruses so convoluted that they will not be able to verify the time of day."

"The whole town?"

"Only if the others are connected to the system at the police department," Cool Hand said. "That's the one that he targeted. If the others get burned. . .well, chalk it up to collateral damage. When the police chief, the mayor and the clerk find out that their trusted lawyer has their part of the money they took from motorists, their little ship is probably going to hit the sand. Maybe they will get blamed for the computer crash that is almost certainly going to occur. Happy trails to the lot of them. By the way, if you drive back home, you should avoid that place as though there is a plague there. There probably will be one, or two."

"You haven't met Trixie yet," Swede said. "I told you that she was having breakfast with the head of security, Walter. She also mentioned that she may have to meet with a Ms. Charlene Warington at the Water Park, today. You may meet her, but you two should not _'know'_ each other, which you don't at the present."

"You checked out of the motel," Josh said. "Are you not staying tonight?"

"Just long enough to get some information on who else, if anybody, goes into the vault besides Walter and the princess. Both of them are out of the building, or we think that they are. We need to know who else has the keys to where they are keeping our money."

"I have a little time, I think," Josh said. "to make some of the calls on my list. I'll see you guys Thursday but I'll be in touch."

Josh had just finished with the third, and final call to his clients when the low battery indicator on his cell came on. "Got lucky there," he said to himself. "Maybe I'll have some luck with Charlene. He ordered a tall, cool fruity looking drink that apparently was featured for the kids who came to play in the water while mom and dad played at the 'adult' games. Recalling a recent conversation with Swede and the guys and not really meaning to repeat the line from the western, he let it slip out. He immediately wished he could have recalled it because it was a source of embarrassment, but it was too late. "You speaking tu me?" In his mind, he knew the effort was dead in the water; a bell cannot be unrung. He mentally prepared for the shot he knew he deserved.

She was even more attractive in person and up close than the picture he had seen of her. She was wearing the same bathing suit she had worn when the picture was taken. It was apparently her off-day, what was left of it, and she was in a recreation area doing the bidding of her company, the casino. "Well. . .yes, I was," she said and smiled after a moment. "I was expecting to meet here with a Mr. Gable about some computer software. I am sorry to have bothered you, sir."

Another attractive female who was apparently used to intimidating mouthy males had just ordered a soft drink and was enjoying the predicament Josh's daydreaming had gotten him into. She smiled and took a seat at a nearby table.

"I am Mr. Gable," Josh said, "and I am soooo embarrassed. You are kind enough to take what leisure time you have to meet with me and here I am, pretending to be some long forgot about actor."

She smiled and Josh was relieved for a moment. The other female cleared her throat and Josh gave her and inquiring glance. "Actually," she said, "you do resemble 1Alan Ladd. I thought you were with Fake Actors 'R Us, who have applied to perform both on stage and in the gaming rooms. I have to meet with them also. All performers have to be screened by security. That would be my job, one of them, anyway."

"Let me guess," Josh said. "Management's idea of how to 'lighten the load' is to have you make a list of all your tasks, that you probably don't have time to do in the first place, and then instruct you to prepare at schedule of when you will finish with each of them. Then management smiles as though they are pleased with the help they have given you."

"You're in management?" She smiled and said, "With Gable as your name, I though you would have said, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" She was obviously a movie buff. "At least you didn't throw your drink in my face and hit me."

"Not at these prices," Josh said, pointing to the poster showing the popular concoction that even she was drinking.

Her cell phone rang and she said, "Excuse me for a moment." She picked up her drink cup and walked a few steps away. She then turned to get a look at the female seated at the table, the one Josh felt was trying to bust his chops, and said, "Yes, I think she is here. I'll take care of it." She had no sooner reached her table and introduced herself when her cell rang again. She set her cup on the table and again excused herself and turned away for a moment.

The female nodded thanks and walked passed Josh and said, "Your pick-up lines can use some work, cowboy but I'll tell you what. You just tighten up on the cinch; you have some riding to do!"

"I'm sorry," Charlene said. "Now, let's talk about. . ."

"My silly little problem?" "Do you get the feeling sometimes that you are just being used?" she asked. "More and more with every passing day," Josh said as the female who had just given him the tidbit of advice turned to give him a last glance before she left.

She sat down, exhaled and took a long, slow swallow from her drink. "Specifically, what type of software do you have, Mr. Gable?"

"Most of what I sell and service," Josh said, "you probably are already familiar with. It consists mainly of banking and bookkeeping software. I have sent e-mails and flyers here before. What I hope to interest you in today, at least to introduce you to it, is a security card, THE RAPID—**R**estricted **A**rea **P**ersonnel **Id**entification. He placed a sample card on the table with a picture of some man named Arthur. This card features a passive bar-code that can be read with any bar-code reader. It works in conjunction with a fingerprint reader."

She retrieved a card from her handbag and asked, "Like this one?"

"Except," Josh said, "that card is chip-based. It can be hacked, if by chance there is some information embedded in the chip that someone would want to steal. An electrical pulse or even a strong magnet will kill it, rendering it useless. Neither an electrical pulse nor a magnetic field will affect the RAPID card. And your card's print reader program does not read biometric data, or at least it does not measure body temperature and moisture."

She squirmed slightly and asked, "Can you demonstrate this?"

"I don't have my writer with me," he said, "but I can, if you have a card to spare, show you how simple it would be to defeat your card."

"Pardon me while I make a call," She said. Again, smiling, feigning impatience for a moment and said, "Yes, will you and Harold come to the pool?" It was not a request. Within three minutes, two young men hurried into the area. They could not keep their eyes off her. She reached and got a terry cloth robe and put it on. "Give your card to Mr. Gable." The two young men hesitated but complied.

Josh took one of the cards and placed it on the table and said, "Watch this." He removed a magnet from his case and swiped the card with it and handed it back, "Try it now."

The young man walked to the rear of the area and placed the card into a reader. He called back, "It won't work. Something is wrong with it."

"You go try you card," Josh said to the other man, who after trying it called back across the room that it did in fact work. He returned the card to Josh who swiped it with the magnet and told him to try it again. This time, it would not work."

"Take your cards back to the office and get them replaced, "Charlene said. "I will call ahead and explain." The two men complied, again stealing a look at her partially opened robe. When they had left and she made the call, she said, "I apologize for their gawking."

"If I said that I had not noticed," Josh said, "lightening would probably strike me."

She smiled and said, "I am interested in the card, Mr. Gable and I think that the people at the resort will be also. Will you be in the area long?"

"I can be," Josh said. "And one other feature the card has is that it incorporates a data compression system that will allow up to. . .thirty or forty typewritten pages of information on the holder of the card in the same space of the bar-code you see."

"We have lodging available here for support of such programs, Mr. Gable," she said. "If you can remain overnight. . ." She drained the fruity drink and they left the area.

**Willy's house— 6:30 P. M. Thursday****:**

"Where is this Josh all of you have been talking about?" Cathy asked. "If I am to get some uniforms for him, I need some measurements."

Swede and I let him out at the Water Theme Park in Choctaw on Saturday around noon," Cool Hand said. "I haven't seen or heard from him since and I don't think anybody else has either."

"And," Buck said, "I am a little reluctant to sound any undue alarms but I agree, he should have checked in, at least by phone. We will probably feel very guilty if we find out that he has had an accident or worse."

"He had between twenty-five hundred and three thousand dollars on him," Cool Hand said. "He made use of the whistle for eighteen of that, plus the seven hundred in _'bonus'_ money he received from Ridgeville. He could be the victim of foul play. Five days is too long for him to wait."

"Has anybody been able to reach him on his cell?" Swede asked.

Trixie said, "I saw him with the female Indian at the resort, on Saturday. Could he be with her?"

"Five days?" Buck questioned. "Not likely. I know what to do; I just don't know when to do it. He's a grown man and doesn't need us to be his father. He could have decided that our scheme was simply too risky, too ill conceived."

"If he he's not here or hasn't checked in by the time Willy finishes with the steaks," Cool Hand said, "I am going to report my friend missing."

The group waited for someone else to speak but instead the phone rang. Jeannine answered the phone, paused for a minute and said, "Boy, you had better get your ass here before we send the hounds out for you. Where **are** you?" She listened for a moment and said, "You are four blocks away. Hold on while I tell the others and I'll give you the directions."

"You can finish up, Willy," Buck said. "And I think we need a cool one, all around."

"Where have you been, Josh?" Buck asked.

"Maybe you should ask your mistress of pharmacology," Josh said as he entered the patio, "where is she?" He singled Trixie and asked, "What in the hell did you put into her drink?"

"Just a little booster," Trixie said as she pulled the tab from a Coors Light and laughed. You know how slow Cupid is at times, with that chubby little body and such small wings. I just figured that we did not have time for a Boy Scout to conduct a high-school mating ritual."

"You look a little haggard, Josh," Cathy said, also laughing. "Maybe you just aren't up to the task. Perhaps a nap is in order. Get over here and hold still. I have to have your measurements and the others by tomorrow."

Josh accepted an already opened beer from Trixie which he thanked her for but added, "I am going to kill you."

Everybody was relieved that he had arrived, apparently unscathed but everybody was laughing. Cathy said, "Just how fancy a uniform would you like, Joshy?"

"Don't you start. Two killings will cost just three quarters more than one."

Unwilling to end the ribbing, Cathy said, "I figure you for a Fancy Dan. I'll bet you have lace on your skivvies and squat when you pee."

Realizing that he was out numbered and would eventually have to give an accounting of his time, to say nothing of his adventure, he smiled contritely and said, "You are at least half right. I don't have lace on my skivvies, but I do squat when I pee. That is due to instructions form my doctor who told me not to lift anything what weighs more than nine pounds." The tide of laughter swung to Josh's card and Cathy stood opened mouth, not expecting him to say anything.

After giving Josh a slight hand, Willy sang out, "Soup's on! You two can continue the contest over supper."

"That's the first time I have ever seen you without a reply, Cathy," Trixie said. "But what can you say to that?"

"I can tell the tailor to make allowances in the trousers."

"Okay, gang," Gail said. "I want you to stop picking on Josh." She forced back a laugh and said, "He has been given a difficult job to do and because of that, he gets to be first in line and the first piece of cake."

After all were served and the eating started, Buck said, "A lot has happened the last couple of days and we all need to know the details. Josh, why don't you start?"

"Just one question, first," he said. "Most of the personnel at the resort wear uniforms that do not fit them all that well. Do we need tailor-made uniforms. Don't get me wrong; I had rather be neat than sloppy or slovenly any time and I have heard what quality uniforms Cathy provides. She has a good reputation."

"Kissing up won't get you anywhere," Cathy said, "but don't let me stop you."

"I'll handle your question, Josh," Wayne said. "The commercial, although most people will make a dash to the refrigerator when it comes on, is important. Important to the performers, that is, and especially important to the people who make, direct and produce them. I know that you aren't a Fancy Dan, Josh; lately, working with the theater group, I have met some of the real ones. The theater is. . .well, let's say the theater doesn't have to worry about quotas in that department. They want every little detail—clothing, make-up, lighting, everything to be perfect."

"And they can't control it to that extent under the circumstances," Willy said. "Right? And you think that if we are properly outfitted and _'made-up'_ we may have a better chance of getting one of the roles?"

"Correct," Wayne said. "They will last only a few seconds sometimes but if the right people see them at the right time, well, careers have been jump started with them, both for the performers and the directors. I know that one of the directors who will be working on this project fits the profile, to a T." He stood up and did a little tippy-toe dance. "The little commercial you will see is not just a little commercial, it's a project."

"That is basically what Charlene said," Josh continued. "She made no reference as to type of character but it is important to everybody involved and because so many new actors are making every effort to get into this potentially high exposure venture, the casino can get some very good deals with them. The will work for scale or even less. She doesn't really like that part of the arrangement but it's business."

Sounds as though she is a decent type, Susan said. "Tell us more about her, that's not obvious."

"She's claustrophobic. Before we left the complex, we went to one of the upper offices in the Star. She kept her eyes closed almost all the time when we were in the elevator and she hurried while in the hallways. When we got to the office, she stood next to a window." "That explains her fidgeting while she was in the vault," Swede said. "She was the first to get off the elevator and the first to get back on when they had finished doing whatever they were there to do."

"Do you think, then," Betty asked, "that Walter, the large Indian, will be the one to deal with in the vault?"

"If she can have her way," Josh said, "I think so. In fact, she said that she did not enjoy having to go into the hole, a name she calls the vault."

"Doesn't she like being around all that money?" C. T. asked.

"I asked her that," Josh said, "and she considers it to be just so much paper."

"It's ironic that she would say that," Willy said. "That is exactly what we want them to have instead of the money."

"We saw two other men in the vault," Swede said. "I have pictures of them so that we can follow them long enough to _'borrow'_ their IDs. Thanks to Trixie and her nimble fingers, we already have the data from Walter's card. I scanned it front and back and performed the Cambridge attack on it. All that remains to be done is to make a duplicate. We even have his fingerprints."

"Walter was easy," Trixie said. "We got that this morning. The princess, well, I don't think I can get that close to her. Josh and I will have to come up with something."

"When she is not on duty," Josh said, "she keeps it in her handbag but it is never too far from her."

"And the other two?" Buck asked.

"We are trying to keep an eye on them," Willy said, "but we haven't been able to follow them very much; they go straight home from work. But we're working on it."

"It may not be a problem," Swede said. "Having Walter's card may give us all the information we need. I just want to check."

"Speaking of Walter," Josh said, "Charlene said that he bought himself an expensive sports car, one with an Italian name. He seems more_ 'relaxed'_ lately."

"He can afford it," Buck said.

"I've seen the car," Trixie said, "but I am not sure about his relaxing. Something is about to happen."

"Charlene said that she would be glad when the money for the lotto game is moved," Josh said. "And she thinks that it may be moved to another location, another casino or maybe to an area bank, soon. Having it around, she said, makes her paranoid. She thinks that too many people are plotting to steal it."

"Imagine that!" Wayne said.

"I believe that the presence of the money requires her to keep a personal check on it while it's in the hole," Josh said.

"There was a blip on the screen at the bank on Monday," Cool Hand said. "Some comments were made about the possibility of it, or some of it, being moved to a branch bank in Tupelo. That was part of one the reports that Cathy delivered to Mr. Breedlove, one of the VPs. I didn't pay much attention to it. They have so much money to handle and move about all the time, anyway."

"Charlene said that she thought it may get moved as soon as they get the commercial about it finished," Josh said. "She said that tomorrow wouldn't be too soon for her."

"Joe's mail has picked up, also," Buck said. "The Nerd told him about another cruise he is planning to take and he also asked about some accommodations in the Caribbean.

"Walter had some literature about the same thing," Trixie said. "It was on his desk, yesterday. And by the way, our magic act is booked, not while the commercial is scheduled but about a week before. And we will get filmed."

"I may get filmed, or taped, as well," Josh said. "Charlene suggested that I get an Actors Guild card so that I can be an official actor. Can you get that for me, Wayne?"

"I'll print you one tonight! All of us will be a member of that organization."

"By the way, peasants," Josh said, "I will not be staying at same location as you any more. Because of the RAPID card presentation I have to give, I have been given a Special Status pass as a consultant. My quarters are close to the Water Theme Park. It's a fancy double-wide and I may even get a part in the commercial."

"We should get cracking," Wayne said. "We have the garage and the motor home with the awning, which is plenty big. And the crappy looking truck in the driveway is the armored car with out its armor. I am taking it to Choctaw in the morning. Want to ride along, Josh?"

"I have to get back to my office and get the gear for the RAPID card," he replied. "And guys, I would have called but the cottage we were in was in an area where there was no reception."

1Well known actor. Deceased. Probably best known for his role in western _'Shane'_.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**Willy's den—8:30 P. M. Thursday****:**

"That was one more great meal, Willy," Josh said. "You guys really have a good life. You must be living right."

"Thank you," Willy said, "but all I did was to burn some expensive meat. That and the rest of the food was the compliments of our questionable activities of late, which may or may not be part of a virtuous path."

"Be it far from me to even comment on virtue. I frequently dine on fast food just to be able to meet my customer's schedule," Josh said. "And for the last few days, I have survived on home-cooked, you know, micro-wave and cold-cuts."

"I don't need," Willy said, almost laughing as Swede and the other guys came into the den, "or for that matter, even want to know any details, but just where have you been these last five days? We were beginning to get concerned."

"On the route back here, the one that the busses and I think the one you guys take, if you go north on Highway 45 for a few miles, where it crosses 16, there are a few cabins on the Noxubee River. Charlene has one of them leased. It is where she goes to get away from her job. She has an arrangement with a local to keep the cupboard stocked and to look after the place. It's a fairly nice place although I didn't get to see much of the countryside."

"I have never heard of the Noxbee River," Cool Hand said.

"That's Noxubee," Josh said. "The local stressed the name, but don't be intimidated by trivia. It would surprise me if there are a half a dozen people in the whole state who even know where the place is. For some reason, my cell would not work there. It could have been the location or it could have been that the batteries are getting weak."

"What is _Fake Actors 'R Us_?" Buck asked.

"I'll field that one," Wayne said. "If my theatrical company in Paducah was for real, they would be part of the competition for the precious camera time that everybody is vying for. They consist of individuals who bear resemblance's to famous people, usually actors, like Josh, here. They will tape, or film these actors, if you want to call them actors, in various places in and around the resort. The clips will be placed into various versions of the commercials."

"I'll bet that they will be shown winning," Cool Hand said.

"That's a safe bet," Wayne said. "In places like Las Vegas, these well know actors, the real ones, are often actually there and can be filmed, or taped. In Choctaw, Mississippi, they are here generally only when they have been hired and compelled by contract to be there. The real ones get paid, too, but they are more often already in the area and are available. It's a ploy or plan by the casinos here to _'upgrade'_ the local celebrity image."

"That is about what Charlene told me," Josh said. "It was her idea so she got hung with making many of the contacts and arrangements. She thought I was part of that group. I want to get one of the parts that will help get us into the vault but having to hang around and be taped, pretending to be Shane. . .well, that may not enhance my image as a business consultant. Camera shy."

"Okay, guys," Swede said, "grab a chair. I have the laptop connected to the projector so we can all see. I'll make it brief so that we can get ready to move everything to Choctaw. Thanks to Trixie, and I hope Josh doesn't actually kill her, I was able to scan and strip the information from Walter's card, which you can see on the screen. What I do on screen is what we will put into the cards we will use. Most of the information can be checked visually, such as photo, sex, name, etc. The security is in the part you cannot see, unless you do this." He entered a few rapid commands and some strange symbols appeared."

"Yeah, like we know what that means," C. T. said.

Using a laser pointer, Swede continued, "You can see this little jewel. Well, it says that the card must be _'renewed'_. . .every. . ." He entered another series of commands, "twelve hours. We can't be bothered with having to check in that often so. . ." He continued to make entries. "Now the card will be a _'permanent'_ one, so to speak."

"Isn't Trixie going to exchange one of our cards for Walter's for a test?" Buck asked.

"Yes," Swede said. "And even if he _'renews'_ it, it will not be affected. These other little marks that you see will tell the computer that it has received the update. Actually, all the update does is to lower the dated flag which I have removed and replaced with one that will lie to the computer."

"What about the fingerprint?" Willy asked.

Swede entered another series of commands and Walter's print appeared. "The next sound you will hear will the be little device to you right preparing a latex copy of his print. All that we will have to do is slip it over our thumb and place it on the reader. It matches the imbedded data in the chip. I do want to have him use one of ours though, just to be sure. I will make several copies for our use. The actual cards we will use will have Walter's, or one of the other security people's data imbedded in it but the picture, name, age, etc. will be ours. We do need to get some others and we also need to be careful to have a code or a number we can recognize so that **if** we get to use them, we don't use Walter's card when some other guard is supposed to be in the area. I am trying to get some special contact lens so that we will be able to read the extra data without having to bother with looking at the back side."

"What about the girls?" Cool Hand asked.

"I'll go over this again with them," Swede said. "The den isn't large enough for all of us be in here at once. When are you going back to Choctaw, Josh? I need to have the female's card long enough to strip it, just to satisfy myself that there are no differences other than those we can see. You and Trixie need to double team her but bear in mind, unless she introduces the two of you, you do not know each other, **or** Cathy for that matter."

"I have to get back to Roswell in the morning," Josh said, "to get the presentation material for the RAPID card and to get a good night's sleep." "You can crash here for the night, Josh," Willy said. "That couch pulls out into as comfortable a bed as you will find. Breakfast is in the fridge and/or wherever else in the kitchen you can find it."

"Do you anticipate any trouble getting you hands on Charlene's card?" Swede asked.

"I don't think so. I told her that I would be back in Choctaw about noon, Saturday. She goes back on duty at 6:00 P. M. If you and our beloved pharmacologist can be standing by, I will do my best to place in on the deck of my luxury pad, you know, the double-wide."

"Are there going to be any. . . uh, problems with her? Any attachments? I know, this has been going on, for what?, less than a week?"

"No problem for me. I'll be the one who will be told to move on," Josh said. "There's an ethnic thing here. I am not a member of their tribe and she gave the distinct impression that she is expected by the tribal elders to, well, you know the drill. We will deal with it later if we have to. For now, we have work to do."

"We'll have everything set up in the motor home," Swede said, "and we'll park it close to your quarters. When you are ready, we will be waiting."

"Willy," Jeannine said over the intercom, "you have mail. To be more correct, **Joe** has mail. You should read it. It's still coming in; they're on-line now, three or four of them."

"Joe? "Josh said. "He's the banker, Cool Hand's boss. Right?"

"Jeannine," Swede said, speaking over the intercom after entering another code, "copy their e-mail and print it. There's something else here!"

"What is it?" Willy asked.

"Another level of security, a five-digit number assigned to each card holder," Swede said. "That was all but hidden; I overlooked it. They have to have the card, fingerprint **and** the five-digit code. They all have to match."

"Can you get it, the number, that is?" Buck asked.

Swede began mumbling softly, talking to the computer as though it was a human with secrets, being interrogated. With each command he entered, he uttered an epithet. Three more entries and three more expletive enhanced epithets later he said, as he entered yet another set of commands, "Take this, you worthless piece of shit." He waited for a moment and then got up from his chair, smiled and said as he did a small little hip-twisting jig, "Am I good? Now I ask you: am I good?"

Wayne looked at the screen and upon seeing the number, said, "You da' man!"

"Yeah," Swede said, "and da' man almost overlooked that. But it's here now. We have everything on the cards, one of them at least. We still need to get out hands on the others."

"By the way, Swede," Josh asked, "does Susan know that you can dance like that? I think I will tell her."

Jeannine tapped on the opened door and said as she handed several sheets of paper to Buck, "I printed this out but you may want to read it on screen as well. Their little chat has ended, but it wasn't such a little one. And who has been dancing?"

Josh nodded toward Swede and Jeannine smiled before she turned to leave. "Put it on screen, Swede, so all of us can read it."

Swede accessed Joe's mail box and put the messages on the white wall via the Epson projector. They read the entire set of messages which included input from Joe, Walter and Kenneth Bryant, the one who had been dubbed the Nerd, presumably the programmer who wrote the lotto security program. The latest set of winning numbers remained from the last e-mail from the Nerd, or from his partner

"The numbers check," Willy said. "Are they planning to use them or sell them to the man they met in Florida?"

"I don't think so," Buck said. "Use them, that is. They are afraid to use the numbers for the big game or they would have already done it. How can they explain having that much money?

"They can't," Swede said, "any more than we would be able to. We would get nailed inside of a week. Walter can't be connected to it, working for the resort. The Nerd can't because he works for the company that provided the computer program and there must be some way that Joe can be connected to them. What are they planning, aside from selling the numbers to. . .whom?. . .organized crime? That bunch, if they are part of such a group, could make the connection. They already know who the players are and will use it to nail them later if it should benefit them."

"They put part of the money into the bank accounts in the islands," Cool Hand said, "Then they drove home with close to a million each."

"We have all read it," Buck said. "Willy, make a guess at it. Stop him if you have questions or other thoughts or if you disagree."

"From the dates mentioned," Willy began, "they plan to make their move about the middle of the week following the filming of the commercial. Let's say, on a Wednesday."

"What about the filming of the Fake Actors group?" Josh asked, "and the typical scenes? Won't that continue for some time?"

"Yes," Willy said, "I think so. In fact, it will probably begin before the actual filming in the vault, the part of the commercial we are concerned with. I get the feeling that our main Indian, Walter, will not even be around for the filming. That leaves Charlene, who, according to Josh, does not relish duty in the hole, as she calls it."

"Maybe he plans to be here for the filming of the commercial," Buck said, "but not for the actual grab. . .on(?). . .Wednesday?"

"Are they planning to switch the money?" Swede asked. "That's **our** plan. And by the way, how are **we** going to explain having the money, **if** we can get it?

"They make several references to a cruise schedule," Willy said, "the same ship line they went on before, along with us. Joe and Walter are planning to be on a cruise that week, I think. If they can get the money and disappear, they won't have to explain having it."

"All of them?" Cool Hand asked. "Wouldn't that raise a flag or two.

"There isn't that much of a connection between them," Willy said, except through the man they sold the numbers to and if they sell the big game numbers to him and his group collects on them, they wouldn't have a reason to come after them. None of them are married unless the Nerd is and he was on the cruise alone as far as we could tell so except maybe for family members, brothers, sisters, etc., not many people would be looking for them.

"If they sell the numbers to the big one," Swede said, "the $100M game, and get? . . what was it? . . 10%? That's not chicken feed, on any farm!"

"Cathy," Cool Hand said, speaking over the intercom. A moment later she clicked the button. "Cathy, is there another cruise the bank is sponsoring starting the week after the filming? They usually only sponsor only one per year."

"They run those every week of the year, Cool Hand," she replied, "but no, the bank is not involved in one that week. At least, they haven't told me to do anything connected to it"

"Contact your sailor friend, on the cruise ship, and find out, discretely of course, if any of our guys, Joe, the Indian or the Nerd, have made reservations. Find out anything you can about it."

"And tell the cruise line what?. . .that we love them?. . . that are just concerned about them?"

"Not the cruise line, just your friend. It's a survey. Tell him anything. Use my office and phone."

"I'll put it right at the top of my list of things to do. Cool Hand smiled at the remark."

"I have the virtual vault video ready to run," Swede said. "Willy, get the head-sets. I have located the points to place the lasers."

"Lasers?" Josh asked. "I didn't think we were going to have cut our way in."

"These," Swede said, holding up a small, battery-powered, ruby red laser pointer. "Watch what happens to the TV when I shine one of them into the video camera." The image of them in the room became an array of scattered, dancing light. He aimed the pointer directly in the lens of the camera and secured it with the suction cup on the bottom and the image on the screen stopped moving but was still indiscernible."

"Put these on, Josh," Cool Hand said, handing him a virtual viewing headset. "Your girl friend has already given you a pass to the vault whether we get one or not. You need to get familiar with the view. We have already seen it." Swede conducted him on a _'tour of the vault'_, pointing out the various features along the way. Josh turned his head occasionally to get the feel of the view. "Look at the location of the laser pointers," Swede said. "They are aimed directly into the three cameras. One of us, probably Buck, will be in the motor home directing our movement. He will be receiving the video from the cameras and will tell us when the cameras _'go blind'_.

"I assume that we will have receivers in our ears for the audio," Josh said. "Won't that be easily seen?"

"It's part of the make-up," Wayne said. "All _'top security people'_, especially those in the movies, are equipped with them. Just remember to talk into your cuff links from time to time, especially when the fancy Dan director is watching."

"And yes," Buck said, "your cuff link will be a functioning microphone and your ear piece will be a receiver. All of us will have them."

"Where did you _get_ this stuff?" Josh asked. "Forget I asked that. You'd probably have to kill me if you told me. Will this be set up in the motor home so that I can get more acquainted with it?"

"Don't ask, okay, yes and yes," Swede said, smiling. "All of the gear will be there. Except for when we need to have it on site, it will be stored in the garage, along with the unadorned armored car. By the way, the local who rented us the garage thinks that we are bootlegging something or moving stolen cars. He seemed impressed."

"Josh," Wayne said, "Give C. T. and me a hand loading up the motor home and the truck. Swede has to do the same thing all over again for the girls. Willy, Buck and Cool Hand have _'volunteered'_ to clean up.

"That was an impressive bit of art work, Swede," Josh said as the girls came into the den. "I'll be back in to help the scullery crew as soon as we get Wayne and C. T. loaded up."

Thirty minutes later, all the little chores were completed. As Wayne, driving the motor home and C. T. in the truck pulled out of the driveway, Cathy said, "Willy told me that you were going to stay here for the night."

"Yeah," he replied. "On the couch in the den, downstairs. I'm getting my bag from the rental now. It's a real comfortable bed, according to Willy."

"I know that our Willy is the exception," Cathy said, "but when was the last time a guy named Willy told the whole truth?" Cathy asked. "I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight just knowing that you were having to sleep on that lumpy hide-a-bed and have nothing to eat for breakfast but cold cereal. Leave your bag in the car and give me a lift home. The sleeping arrangements there are much better, more visitor-friendly."

"What about your car?"

"It's a Chevrolet."

"How will you get to work in the morning?"

"You can drop me off here on you way back to Roswell. It's on the way."

"What do you serve for breakfast?"

"Wheaties, the breakfast of champions. What else! Can you make the team?"

**Choctaw, Mississippi.—Saturday, 2:00 P. M. Josh's 'double-wide':**

Josh was at the desk in the living room when the door buzzer sounded. It was Charlene. "Good," she said. "You made it back. Did you get everything that you will need for the presentation?"

"Yes, I have it all. What time will I need to be there?"

"Six P.M.," she replied. "I will come by to carry you to the office."

"You're early!"

"Just a bit," she replied, looking out the window. "Whose motor home is that? It isn't supposed to be parked here?"

"It was making a strange sound when they pulled in. They asked me if it was okay for park there while they check out. . .something. I told them that as far as I knew, it would be. They asked me for tools."

"What kind of tools?" she asked, still looking out the window. "You aren't a mechanic are you?"

"No," he replied, now looking out the window himself. "Who is that?" He motioned to her to look. "Isn't that the lady who was in the pool area the other day?"

"Pardon the pun, hun," she said, "but that's no lady. That is Walter's girl friend but he denied it when he was asked. She's coming here? I would rather she not see me."

"Well, don't try to hide in one of the closets," he suggested. "They're too small." The buzzer sounded and he went to the door. "Yes?"

"Are you Mr. Gable?" she asked. "Walter said that you would be here sometimes after noon."

"Yes," he repeated. "Come on in. The AC is working overtime. What can I do for you?" He pointed to Charlene's handbag.

Trixie quickly removed her security card, being careful to hold it on the edges only, stuck in into a small folder she had in her hand and said, "Walter said that we would meet in his office around six and asked me to notify you."

"Do you sell software?"

"No. He wants me to be a subject for one of your cards, something about fingerprints, I think. And the people in the motor home; they asked me to ask you for a torx screwdriver and they will return in a few minutes. I don't know why they stopped me." She held up three fingers on one hand and formed an 'o' with the other, indicating 30 minutes. She whispered, "Getting her card is easy; you're doing all the work."

"Look in that case," he said pointing to the couch. "There is a small kit that should do. Tell them to be sure to knock when they have finished." She repeated the finger sign and he said, "Tell them to take their time and make sure they do the job right. Breakdowns on the road are a problem."

Josh tapped on the bedroom door and said, "All clear. Are you to be present for the card presentation?"

"Walter mentioned it but he didn't say anything about her." She nodded toward the parking lot. "There will be at least two others there, with vault clearance. I hope your card passes the test."

"So do I, but for now, at least until the people in the motor home with their little problem, well, it seems that you are trapped here for a while. Too bad.""


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

**Motor home—Back parking lot—Silver Star Casino, Sunday, 11:00 A.M.:**

"How did the card presentation go, Josh?" Buck asked. "Well, I hope."

"Yes, it did. I believe that the security people here and the other casinos are going to be interested it but it will just take time. I am just glad they don't already have it in use here. I went through the usual presentation, the one that the unlearned calls the _'dog and pony show'_. Don't ask me why it's called that; I've never been to either a dog show or a pony show. The other two men with vault clearance were present and I managed to scan their cards, without their knowledge."

"Did you get their individual codes?" Swede asked.

"I don't know. I used the version of your little program, the adjusted one—after you spoke so rudely to it. It's on the CD labeled _'card'_." Josh handed the disk to Swede and said, "See what you can make of it. Of course, I used **their** CD for the presentation and urged them to keep or destroy it along with all sensitive security data. We certainly wouldn't want anyone but them to have their security data. Now would we?"

"Have a seat here, Swede," Buck said, motioning to his chair. "See what we have. What else is new, Josh?"

"The theme of. . .at least one version of the commercials is going to be: _'You never know who you will see at the Star or the Moon'. _Surely, they will shorten the title some. The title was selected by Charlene, who all but forced the director to accept it. That girl is just as persuasive as she is good looking. Holding the bid selection and purse string does give her added leverage. He got back at her though by insisting she be in the commercial and be the one to speak the title or the theme line."

"You expect to see a good looking woman like her in commercials, or the movies," Swede said. "They can't go wrong using her. Where are the others, the girls, our girls."

"Shirley and Mary got here last night," Buck said. "They are all at the water park and Wayne and C. T. don't even like the water. I think it's funny. Those two are just like a couple of love sick puppies."

"I thought it was funny when the director cornered Charlene into being in her own commercial," Josh said, "until she dragged me into it. Is it too late to break and run."

"Yes, it is," Swede said. "We have everything we need to roll except for another part that will get one more of us into the vault. So you be extra, extra attentive to her every little wish."

"Everything?" Buck asked. "Not her everything. Do we have everything?"

With three distinct punches on the keyboard with his index finger, Swede said, "Yes, we do. Everything! Look at those numbers" He smiled and added, "You done good, Josh! Keep up the good work."

"Fingerprints?" Josh asked. "The two other men who were there? Can you get their prints from the encryption in their cards?"

Two more entries were followed by the sound of the print duplicator and another patented dance by Swede, who smiled and asked, "What do you mean: you were dragged into her commercial? We **want** you to be in the commercial!"

"Not this part, really," Josh said. "I'm on my way now, to make-up. They are going to tape the first segment in an hour or so. Guess which line I have to give. I can't _**act**_**!** She talked the director to buying some footage from old movies to be copied into the tapes they are making. The one with me will fade to a scene at one of the bars here, with yours truly delivering the line. That will run about twice before some red-neck drunk sees it and will want to punch my lights out, just to see how tough I am and to say the he was speaking tu me."

"What did the director say about your membership in the Actor's Guild?" Buck asked.

"I showed him the card Wayne provided and he was satisfied. I don't intend to show it again unless I have to. I think he is delighted with her idea. In addition to being the director, he is part owner of _'Fake Actors R Us' _and sees it as a golden opportunity for him and his group, especially since the casino is paying the whole tab. I don't think he had a clue as to how to proceed before Charlene forced him into using me in their little group. That and the whole idea of using the look-alikes. I think he is a fake director, a real fake. Does that give him some measure of credibility?"

"The main thing, Josh," Buck said, "is that we are part of the way in but if we can't get the other role, we will simply go with the big number lotto game."

"Who will _'win'_ the big one if we have to go that way," Swede asked. "You, Josh, me, Willy, or Cool Hand? Who?"

"My connection to Charlene, albeit clandestine," Josh said, "would rule me out. That would surface very quickly. Trixie could be connected to the big Indian in the same manner. Cathy and Cool Hand work for the bank and the bank is connection to the security company, the one Cool Hand said was a consultant to their recent seminar."

"And," Buck said, "that's the same company who sold the casinos the security program. The rest of us are close to Cool Hand. The connection is thin and we are all just a little paranoid. Okay, we aren't a little paranoid. We are **P**aranoid, with a capitol **P**."

"And yet, we march on," Josh said. "That leaves Wayne and C. T."

"They are the logical choices," Buck said, "but both of them want to hold off on that until the very last moment."

"You know," Josh said, "that if we can make the switch and drive away with the cash, we will still have to have some explanation as to where in the world our sudden riches came from. You know that we will have to do both, don't you? Either that or disappear like we are guessing our competition plans to do and I don't think that any of **us** can hide. Do you?"

"No, I don't," Buck said. "No, I don't."

"Rather than take up the chant at this time," Josh said, "I think I will report, as ordered, to make-up. Maybe I can hide behind the make-up until we decide."

**Willy's room—Star Hotel. 6:00 P.M.****:**

"Did you see Josh in his debut?" Buck asked.

"I couldn't get close enough to see much," Swede said, "but he must have done a good job; I heard cheers go up several times. They had the area taped off and with all those lights, But I didn't really want to get too close, anyway. Have they put on extra security for this thing?"

"I don't know," Willy said. "Maybe Trixie or Josh has heard something but I have seen more security types today. Maybe I have just been more aware of them lately."

"Where is Wayne and C. T.?" Swede asked, "blowing the whistle?"

"Probably," Buck said, "for Shirley and Mary. All the girls are going to a show tonight. While they are there, Wayne wants to practice converting the trucks."

"What show is that?" Willy asked. "It's not Bill Cosby, is it?"

"No," Buck said. "He's **next** week and we have tickets to his show. I know that he and his group will show up in the commercials, if they can afford him. Some hillbilly singers are on tonight. Say, didn't Cathy sing with a hillbilly group at one time?

"Yeah, and Betty says that she is pretty good," Cool Hand said.

"Do you know if she has heard back from her sailor? Isn't he an officer in the Coast Guard Reserve or something?"

"Yes," Swede said, "he's a Lieutenant Commander. He called this afternoon and she wants to discuss it. She should be here by now. They are planning an early supper before the show."

"Don't you say anything about my dissing hillbilly singers," Buck said. "Correction: Make that Country & Western."

Willy answered the knock at the door. It was Cathy and Gail. "We have just been talking about you, Cathy." he said.

"And what has Mr. Smarty been saying?" Gail asked. "I heard him talking about our choice of music. The reason we didn't get tickets for you guys is that the lot of you just _'ain't got not no_ _couth'_." Buck cringed, busted.

"What did your friend tell you, Cathy?" Willy asked.

"Both Walter and the Nerd. . . Bryant, have reserved cabins for the cruise on the week following the vault taping," Cathy said. "And he said that it was a little odd."

"How so?" Willy asked.

"Both reservations were received within minutes of each other," she replied," and he said that both were paid for from the same checking account, an island bank, offshore."

"Is that unusual?" Swede asked.

"No," Cathy said, "except that, although the funds were there and legitimate, there was no way to verify for sure who paid for them. It was some sort of secure payment service called Shadow Pay, whatever that is. My friend said that they had not dealt with them before, not that it was a problem, just unusual."

"What about the others?" Buck asked. "Joe or any others at the bank?"

"No, but he will keep me informed. He remembered this group and asked when we would be returning."

"What did you tell him?" Buck asked.

"That we're working on it," she said. "I told him that we are waiting for **our** ship to come in."

"Did you see Josh make his film debut?" Willy asked.

"Yeah, bless his heart." Gail said. "That director had him redo that one, simple line at least a dozen times. No wonder he doesn't want to get any more involved. On the last take, we gave him a big round of applause. You cretins are missing out on a good show, tonight."

"Duty calls," Buck said. "Where is Trixie?"

"She will see the show tonight but not with us," Cathy said. "Thanks to her, their magic act group landed a short, three-day engagement for here and two more weeks, one in Gulfport and one in Tunica. The manager of the group didn't know anything about it until they were notified. She said that it will probably be the last time she will be with them. It will be taped and if it gets enough exposure, the group may stay together but probably not with her, despite her contributions. I don't think she cares though."

"We'll see you guys later," Gail said. "Trixie is going to do some card tricks in one of the poker rooms later tonight. We are going to try to get in to see her. Walter is going to introduce her. She is getting anxious to get on with the plan."

"So are we," Willy said, "but there isn't much more for her to do. She switched the guard's cards long enough for them to try them and replaced them and she is keeping tabs on Walter and to some extent, Charlene."

Wayne and C. T. arrived just as Gail and Cathy were walking out. "I have free meals on my player's card," C. T. said. "Let's use them instead of acting like the big spenders we hope to be in the near future. Then we have some practicing to do, especially you, Buck. Where is Cool Hand?"

"On his way here," Buck said. "Has everybody been reading the mail?"

"It looks as though our counterparts are being pressured to sell the numbers again," Willy said. "I can say one thing for them. They are exercising restraint on that point."

"Restraint or just good sense," Wayne said. "Remember how they talked about both the people they are stealing the numbers from and the ones they are selling them to. They are as afraid of them as they would be a room full of bears, the Nerd in particular.

"Being a nerd doesn't make you stupid," Buck said. "He could know something the others don't. By the way, do we have anything on the stranger, the one who gave them the money in Florida. He was also in the cabin that we bugged."

"Nothing," Wayne said. "I got a picture of the man who brought the money but it isn't a good one. You've seen it. Still we have nothing as to who he is."

Cool Hand arrived just as Buck said, "As it stands now, Wayne, either you or C. T. will be the one to punch in the winning numbers. Have any of us been seen together in the casino?"

"You know that all of us have been captured on the surveillance cameras," Wayne said, "but then everybody who comes into the casinos has. I don't know if Walter saw any of us together on the cruise. And Joe was distracted at the time, much the same as Walter and Charlene are now."

"That worked better than I thought it would," Cool Hand said. "Josh is still the charmer. Are he and Cathy still nipping at each other?"

"They're okay," Swede said. "I asked her if she though he was a team player and she said that he was a team. I'm not sure just what she meant by that but they're okay."

"Let's go eat," C. T. said. "We have free meals to the buffet. How does that sound?"

"Just don't let me eat too much," Buck said.

After eating, Wayne and Swede took the _'unadorned'_ truck to the rented garage, just outside Choctaw. Buck and the others went in the motor home. The structure was a sixty foot by ninety foot building with corrugated metal siding and a truss supported roof. The outer wall consisted of WF columns to which were connected channels that held the siding. Two WF columns were in the center, allowing the building to be divided into six 30' x 30' work areas with a smoothed concrete floor. Four large ventilation fans were placed in the overhead, one at each corner. It was well lighted and had utility outlets conveniently placed both on the outer walls and on the two center columns. An elevated, air conditioned 20 ft. x 20 ft. office was located at one end under which was the main entrance that was matched at the other end.

Buck pulled the motor home into the center area on the right and Wayne drove the truck up to a position to one side and behind it. In one corner was the other truck, complete with its siding panels and logos, looking ready to haul large sums of money. Next to it was the limousine that Wayne had purchased recently. It was just as gleaming as the pseudo armored truck but had no logos or markings. Wayne and C. T. beamed with pride as Swede switched on the overhead lights. Willy and Cool Hand unrolled the awning, located on the passenger's side of the motor home as Buck closed the sliding door to the garage.

"The truck in the far corner," Wayne said, "has our fake money in it, which for now, is concealed in the side panels. That is the one we will drive back to the loading dock of the casino. On the strike night, it will be under the awning. After a couple of run-throughs, we will use it. For now, let's attach the panels to this one." He pointed to the truck that he and Swede had arrived in. "Everybody, put on your gloves!" he ordered, sounding like a drill sergeant..

They removed the panels from inside the motor home, leaned them against the side and rear of the vehicle and within 20 minutes, the ragged looking truck was transformed in an identical twin of the one in the far corner.

C. T. then said, with the same command voice as Wayne, "We have just pulled up to the awning, in the truck with the real stuff in it. A signal has been sounded to Buck who will have both ends of the awning open. He will pull the truck you now see in the corner from under the awning, leaving the space for this truck. Wayne will then drive under the awning, Buck will close the awnings and Wayne and I will drive the other truck back to the dock. Buck will close the awning, remove the panels and drive to Hueytown. If he is not alone, his partner will conceal the real money in the side panels on the drive back home. Otherwise, he will have to do that after he arrives at the mini-storage before returning here in his van or car. We do not have another stack of stage money to practice with."

Wayne and C. T. climbed into the just converted truck and sat for a moment. Wayne sounded a short beep the horn, pulled the truck into the area beside the motor home and said, "Go!" He and C. T. got out of the truck and walked to where the other truck will be stopped. Buck closed the awnings and started the conversion. It took him 45 minutes to complete the job and place the panels inside the motor home.

"As far as we know," Wayne said, "you won't be under any time constraint, Buck but just to make sure the effort goes smoothly, we need to go over it a couple more times. You will notice that the wheels are larger, heavier and more closely resemble those used on real armored trucks. At 10:30, he said, "We're ready! **You're** ready, Buck. We could do it tonight. Let's get back to the casino and I will treat the group to beers."

"Beers are complimentary on the gaming floor," Swede said.

"I'm in a charitable mood," Wayne said. "This is going to work!"

"You drive back, Willy," Buck said as he closed the door to the now darkened garage, "while I locate the girls. Wayne's buying. He can buy them a drink as well. Too bad Josh and Trixie can't join us but. . ." He paused and said, speaking into the phone, "We have finished up here. How was the show?. . .Meet us at the pool at the Star."

It was eleven o'clock when they gathered at the indoor pool. "You should have seen Trixie," Gail said. "Walter, the big Indian, had arranged for her to play poker with some of the regulars, some real poker players. He didn't tell them who she was, only that she would be in the game and asked if she could deal. She dealt herself a royal flush three hands in a row and was piling up chips in front her like you would not believe before Walter told them what was going on and gave them all back. She then proceeded to dazzle the group with a variety of card and parlor tricks that included items taken from the players themselves.

"He then introduced her," Cathy said, "and told them that they could see her and her troupe when they came to town within the next two weeks. Just don't play poker with her he advised them. He also told them that she doesn't play poker but was a magician."

"Where's Wayne?" Willy asked as the waitress came to the tables they had pulled together. "He's buying!"

"He's checking his e-mail," Shirley said. "The office wouldn't tell him if his group had been given any parts other than for the driver of the trucks. They had to be e-mailed for some reason. I'll order him something with an umbrella in it. He liked them on the cruise."

The waitress had just returned with the refreshments when Wayne arrived. "The only parts we got," he said, "are for understudies for the guards, or just stand-ins. It looks like Josh is the only one who got a speaking part, but we will be here in force and dressed for the part anyway."

"Who is Josh?" Shirley asked. "Is he a member of this little group?" She took a glass from the waitress' tray and said, "Oh, yeah. He's the cowboy, at the bar earlier today. You issued him an Actor's Guild card."

Cool Hand's cell rang and he said, "Speak of the devil. You did a good job today. If everything else fails you could become an actor. What's up, Josh?"

"I have no plans to quit my day job," he said. "You can trust me on that but I have a bit of info. Charlene said that after the scenes in the vault are completed, the stage money will not be returned to the vault area, that they intend to sell it, just to get rid of it. It was taking up space and looked too real to have around and Walter was concerned about it. And she will be on extra duty after the vault scenes because Walter has put in for more time off. She is not pleased."

"I wonder why the resort doesn't just hire more people," Cool Hand said. "Or just promote the ones they have."

"According to Charlene," Cool Hand said, "the tribal council intends to hire and promote only people into supervisory and management positions who have college degrees.

"And let me guess," Cool Hand said. "People like Walter, who have the experience and knowledge are being pushed aside for them. But they won't do it until they can get the college kids into place and up to speed. Right?"

"That's about it," Josh said. "A lot of that is going around."

"How does she feel about it?"

"I'm not sure but there is talk that Walter is about to retire and the main reason is the way some of the older ones are being treated. What are your plans for the rest of the weekend?"

"We didn't get the other role like we hoped to, so for now, you are the only one who will get to see the vault in person. You, Walter and of course the filming crew. We will be in the area though, decked out in our fancy uniforms and per Wayne's suggestion, we will be made up, just in case. We will take turns watching the activities in the vault tonight. Buck has set up viewing monitors in the motor home in addition to the laptop arrangement in his van but you know about that."

"I will keep an eye on Joe's mail," Josh said, "and tell Cathy that I am looking for a small yacht."

"A yacht?"


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**Saturday—Motor home—Parking lot at Moon. 9:00 A.M.**

"Are the armored trucks ready?" Josh asked. "I saw the one under the awning that has a cover over it as I came in but where is the other one?"

"It's parked behind the Moon and it is under cover too. Everything is ready for tonight," Buck said, "even though we probably won't get to use any of it. The money is stacked, just so and Wayne and C. T. are with the girls, preparing for their fifteen minutes of fame."

"What is the plan?" Willy asked. "I mean, what is Wayne up to? Wouldn't it be better if all of us were in on it?"

"He said that he wasn't quite satisfied with their look, whatever that means," Buck said. "He also said that we will be able to collect the money from the big lotto game and nobody will ever know who we are. What he actually said was that they won't know who the actual winner is."

"I thought that was the idea of going with the lotto game," Cool Hand said. "That is how we are going to _'explain having the money'_, isn't it? As it stands now, that will be the money we will have, **if** we can get it. How can they not know who we are?"

"He and C. T. have identities set up, that according to him, will vanish after the pot is divided," Buck said. "They said that they would explain it this afternoon, at the Holiday Inn, but that is not his surprise. That comes later."

"He does has a flair for the dramatic," Josh said. "That's for sure. Weren't they in on the _'secret'_ wedding on that cruise you guys took recently. Cathy was telling me about it."

"These two guys," Buck said, nodding toward Swede and Cool Hand, "were part of that, too, as were Gail and Jeannine. One more such plan that excludes Willy and me and our delicate sensitivities could be offended. We still owe the lot of them for that."

"Anything going on in the vault? Josh asked.

"A lot of activity," Buck said, "but it is outside the actual vault. The filming crew has been in and out of the area all morning and they can't keep their eyes off the huge stack of money, visible through the heavy, steel lattice work door. Walter, the Chief of Security, has left them alone in the outer vault area two or three times just to tease them, I think."

**"Our money!"** Cool Hand said. "That's our money! He shouldn't let them ogle our money like that."

"It will be ours **if** we can get out hands on it," Willy said.

"And keep it," Buck said. "What will be the cash payout on the 10/100 game, Cool Hand?"

"Based upon the reports I have heard, with the casinos paying the taxes, I estimate just over $54M.

"Divided nine ways, that comes to over six million dollars each," Josh said. "That is more money than I have ever seen at one time. Several times more, in fact.

"Cool Hand and I saw the full one hundred million when they did the earlier version of the commercial," Swede said. "You will get to see it yourself tonight, Josh."

You guys have been in on this from the start," Josh said. "I came in late and yet, you are giving me a full share. Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to give it back but it doesn't seem right."

"You, Cathy and Trixie _are_, as you say, short timers," Willy said, "but you have been called upon to serve and perform _'above and beyond'_, so to speak."

"Some guys I know would give their right arm for your part in this," Swede said. "And I am not talking about the money. And all of you have performed like champs; you have gotten information, vital information, that we would not have been able to get our hands on otherwise."

"Look," Willy said, pointing to the monitor. "It's her, your girl friend, Josh."

"She said that she didn't think she would have to work the vault during this part of the project," Josh said. "Walter probably arranged it just to annoy her."

"At least the lighting crew has something else to look at for a while besides our money," Willy said. "She is a looker, isn't she?"

"She is that. What about Walter?" Josh asked, "his cruise? He and the . . Nerd(?) purchased tickets on another cruise, you said."

"Cathy's friend, the sailor, told her that they are scheduled to come aboard the ship tomorrow night," Buck said. "Something is going on and I don't know what."

"He's back," Willy said. "Notice how discretely Charlene moves to the elevator so that she will be the first to get on."

"And she will position herself next to the control panels, at the front of the car so that she can get off first too," Josh said.

"We lost the picture," Buck said. "What happened? Hand me the camera location chart, the one Graddock gave us."

"We bought it from him," Swede said. "And Wayne said that we overpaid for it. Try numbers. . . 34A. . .and 38C."

The scene at the top of the elevator to the vault appeared on the monitors. "Maybe we didn't overpay," Buck said. "The door is opening. . .They are all topside: the two-man lighting crew, Charlene and. . .where is Walter? Josh, why don't you hot-foot it over there and buy your girl a drink and find out what happened!"

"Or would that be high-tailing it?" Willy asked. "Buck, switch back to the vault cameras."

"Before I go," Josh said, as he removed three computer-printed sheets from his shirt pocket and handed them to Swede, "give these to Cathy and tell her I down loaded this from the Internet and that they are apparently like buying cars. They are everywhere and the prices vary."

"Yachts?" Swede said. "Cathy wants a yacht? That's a big ticket item. I guess she will be able to afford it if we score. But a yacht?"

Buck entered a pair of numbers into the keyboard and a darkened screen appeared and he said, "I think I'll leave it there for a while. Willy, get the copy and replay the view in the vault just before the lights went out, or whatever happened. Real slow."

Willy took the disk and inserted it into another laptop and began searching for the end of the recording. "Okay. Gather around. Keep the other one going. . .The light flickered just before the camera went blank and Walter was the first to look up at the overhead. Was he the just the first to react or was he already looking toward the lights or the cameras. I would have placed my money on Charlene being the first to look for the lights."

"Back it up a few frames," Swede said. "Watch him. He glanced up to the ceiling two or three times earlier. I think he knew that the cameras were about to go out, or the lights, or both. Walter has another person in on this, most likely one of the observers."

"But who?" Swede asked.

"Who is irrelevant," Buck said. "What, as in what are they up to, is the question."

"Right," Willy said. "One of them, anyway. Another question is: What did Wayne and C. T. want with that junker they parked within view of the front entrance?" Hasn't he bought enough cars already and why such a junker. Is he planning to restore it?"

"I suppose it's part of his distraction plan," Buck said. "He pressed Mr. Graddock back into his little _'secrete service'_ group. I told him I would do it but he insisted saying, that I just didn't have the proper command voice for the project."

"I like Wayne," Willy said, "but he's full of it. He has really thrust himself into this project. What is he going to do with the car? It isn't a classic, is it?"

"My guess is that the Fire Department or the bomb squad will get a call but I'm only guessing.

"How did your uniform fit, Cool Hand?" Swede asked. "I haven't seen you in it."

"It's in the closet behind you, just in case we need it," Cool Hand said. "It fits like the tailor-made garment it is but I plan to wear the same clothes I wore for the last commercial. There was just one guard in the scene the first time around and Josh already has that part. And it doesn't look as though any of us will get the chance to give him any close and personal support."

"What were they doing in the parking lot this morning?" Buck asked. "The filming crew was using some fog or smoke maker in front of a phony, Quonset hut like building"

"One of their look-a-likes was doing a Bogart scene," Willy said. "You know, the one at the airport where he said, taking the opportunity to give his imitation of Boggy, _"Here's looking at you, Kid."_. The guy looked a lot like Bogart."

"This project, the look-a-like movie personalities, may just prove to be a money maker for the casino," Buck said. "If it does, Charlene may get a few atta' girls."

"Josh said that her plan, or at least her hope, is that her stint in Security is just a stepping stone," Buck said. "She wants to move into management. . .and to take over."

Willy's cell phone sounded. It was Josh. "What happen in the vault with Charlene?"

"I wasn't supposed to have know anything about it," Josh said, "so I just told her I saw her at the vault elevator and followed her, to discuss the security card and of course I just happened to notice that she was a _'little flustered'_. She said that Walter told them that it was just a glitch, nothing serious. She also said that one of the lighting crew almost panicked. That is why Walter sent us on up and he finished the set-up for the taping for tonight."

"Is she alright?" Willy asked.

"Oh, yeah. She's fine. She doesn't think that she will have to go back into the hole, at least for a few days. I just wanted to call and tell you that I may not get back to the motor home or otherwise get a chance to talk to any of you until Monday, back in Hueytown."

"Do you have all of your toys, the laser, all of your cards? And how are the contacts working?"

"I have everything," Josh said, assuredly. "And it all works. Tell Cathy that the uniform fits perfectly even with all the gadgets and asunder objects I have on me. And I will have the ear pieces in place. I have to run. A lady awaits her business associate to take her to lunch."

"Same here," Willy said. "We are to meet with Wayne, C. T. and the girls for a late lunch, or something."

"I thought we were planning not to be seen in public with them," Josh said.

"He said that he has that covered. We'll find out."

**Conference room—Holiday Inn—Choctaw. 2:30 :P.M**.

"If I didn't know better," Buck said, "I would say that a wedding is about to take place here or do you think we have come to the wrong conference room?"

I'll check on it," Swede said and left to find the front desk. "Come on, Cool Hand."

They exited the room as an elderly gentleman, carrying a bible entered. The man asked, "Is this where the ceremony is to be conducted?"

I'm not sure, sir," Buck said, looking to Willy for a better reply. "We just arrived."

"I am to meet with a Mr. Gavin and a Ms. Gail Huston," the man said. "Are they the couple to be married?"

"I hope not," Buck said. "**I'm** married to her myself. But then, this bunch doesn't always tell me everything."

Wayne and C. T. entered the conference room just before Swede and Cool Hand, who like Buck and Willy, did not recognize them. They both were bearded and were wearing a cross between Nehru suits and tuxedos. When Wayne spoke, they recognized his voice. Buck, with his why-doesn't-somebody-tell-me-something expression, said, "Tell me, Wayne, my man, what is going on?"

"Just a quick ceremony," he replied flippantly, then we have some serious business to attend to." He shook hands with the man with the bible and said, "My name is Wayne Gavin and. . ." and nodding to C. T., added, "This is Mr. Charles Jackson. We are the couple. . ." Before he could finish the introductions, Gail, Susan, Jeannine, and Betty, surrounding and primping Shirley and Mary entered and all were talking. The man with the bible, presumably a minister was still without an understanding of the situation. He had backed away from Wayne and C. T. as though to distance himself from them.

"You must be Reverend Weeks," Gail said. "We spoke on the phone. It is so kind and considerate of you to come on such short notice." The preacher was clearly not yet at ease. "Let me introduce you to the brides and grooms," she continued, taking Shirley and Mary by the arm. "Those two bearded individuals are the grooms." The preacher smiled a sigh of relief and Gail said, "We are with an out of town theatrical company working at the casino and we wanted the wedding to take place. . .well, away from the lights and. . ."

"You are now in charge, Reverend," Willy said.

"Who is the best man?" The preached asked.

"We all are," Willy said. "And have you been paid yet?"

"Well, no," he replied as Swede put three folded one-hundred dollar bills into his shirt pocket. He smiled, a little embarrassed, still not sure just what he had committed to. "The bride and the groom?"

"Make that plural, reverend," Jeannine said. "This is a double header. I have both of the licenses and we are the maids. . .matrons of honor."

"And you will join us for a late lunch, won't you? Betty said.

"Maybe for a short time," he replied, still curious and skeptical of the group. I have another engagement before dinner. You didn't give me as much time to prepare as I prefer."

The preacher, once he started to give instructions, proved to be not only well versed in the scriptures but capable of directing people. He finished the ceremony and declared the couples legally joined in matrimony within twenty minutes. Motioning to his watch, he stayed only long enough for one glass of wine, which he downed in one swallow. He congratulated the newly weds and excused himself."

"He must have been a Baptist," Willy said. "From the way he downed the drink, I'd say Southern Baptist." He turned to Wayne and C. T. and said, "Fess up! Why weren't we told about this? We were about as unprepared this time as the last."

"We decided just this morning," Shirley said. "Gail, Jeannine, Susan and Betty have been just marvelous."

"If they feed well enough," Willy said, as two waiters began placing food carts next to a large, circular table, "we may not kill the two of them until at least tomorrow.

"Well," Buck said, "you said you had a surprise. I still feel obligated to warn. . .well, I can't warn Mary and Shirley now but I do intend to give them each an earful. You can count on it!"

After a brief round of toasts and they began to eat, when Wayne said, "First, thanks to you guys and girls, especially the girls. Oh, by the way, all the wives present are in on the plan." He leaned over and gave Shirley a peck on her cheek. C. T. Followed suit. "Has a time to play the lotto been set?"

"What about, say, 8:00 tonight?" Buck suggested. "Josh said that the taping in the vault won't be until later. That will give you and C. T. plenty of time to get into your other garb. I will be monitoring the vault until they have finished the filming, or taping. I am going there when we leave here, after I try my luck at a roulette wheel for a few minutes. Making the switch is out of the question since we did not get the other role but Cool Hand will be around the elevator, dressed as you see him now, in his casino causal best, just in case. Swede and Willy will be close at hand, dressed as security men, also just in case."

"We tried," C. T. said, "even to offering bribes, but to no avail."

"We'll do alright," Swede said. "I was hoping to try the cards, the lasers. . .the works but we'll do alright. What do I mean, "Alright?" We will make out like bandits."

"I have nine sheets," Wayne said, "made out to each of us who have a share. This is an agreement to share and share alike any moneys won in the lotto game. The story is that _'I have a system'_ to select the winning numbers. Nobody will believe it, especially the people here at the casinos but they couldn't care any less about it if they tried. But, I have been able to _'secure backers'_, you guys, suckers all, for the plan, which says that the money we win will be transferred to a bank of our choosing. That is where Cool Hand comes in. He, like the rest of you, _'agreed'_ to buy a share just to get rid of an annoying person who accosted you in the parking lot. Now that he has won, he will serve as the banker. After a bit of theatrics, I will turn the matter over to him, due to the agreement, which lists all of you, and me. The person before you will vanish."

"How will we have know that you _won_?" Betty asked.

"That news of that event will be too spectacular even for a con man to get away with," Wayne said. "Everybody in the casino, probably several casinos, will know about it. Being unable to skip out on my investors, who never thought they would get their few bucks back, I will, as I said, turn the finances over to the banker in the group, presumably to avoid prosecution if not bodily harm."

"Tell me, Shirley, Mary," Buck said. "Just what do you think about your brand new husbands? You do know that you can't testify against them, don't you? You can kill them but you can't testify against them, or us." Buck smiled. "They, and you, _**are**_ us!"

Shirley gave Wayne an affectionate hug on his arm and said, "Isn't he grand!"

"Friends who don't tell me about their weddings until fifteen minutes before the ceremony starts don't get grand ratings," Buck said. "But he. . .and C. T. . .well, they're okay, if they don't pull any more such surprises."

"I make no promises," Wayne said, "except to assure you that I will not have another wedding today. I do have another little surprise but you will approve."

**Lobby entrance—Moon casino—6:30 P.M.:**

Standing just inside the glass door entrance, Buck and Willy awaited the arrival of the girls who had been rehearsing with Wayne and C. T.. Wayne had promised another little surprise and a unique distraction that he and the girls would provide at the proper time. "I hope they don't run late," Buck said. "We need to know that everybody is in place."

"Everything has worked like a Swiss watch," Willy said. "So far, everything has gone perfectly. Well, almost everything. Everything else will work just as well. Don't make me do the chant."

"That little distraction really concerns me," Buck said.

"Why do you say that?"

"As stupid as it is, it seems to work."

"It does?" Willy said just as a pair of motorcops roared into the VIP unloading zone with sirens screaming. "Oh, my God!" he exclaimed, nudging Buck who saw the same thing he did. It was Wayne and C. T., in full patrolman regalia, with all the accouterments, right down to the overpolished knee-high boots and riding jodhpurs, on motorcycles with sirens at full blast, in escort of a stretch limousine.

"Don't tell me that this is the girls arriving," Buck said.

"I'm afraid it is," Willy said, speaking as stonefaced as he could. "They have arrived! Tune up the chant."

"Pardon me, sir, but is this your party arriving?" the security officer asked. It was Big Chief Wahoo, himself. He knew that Willy, dressed as he was, in the security uniform, was there only as one of the actors, for whom he had displayed little regard.

Buck and Willy watched as Wayne and C. T. stopped and smartly returned to the casino side of the limousine. The driver and the other person in the front seat, both females, did not exit. Gail, Jeannine, Susan and Betty slid out as C. T. held the door. They were unrecognizable, even to Buck and Willy, no doubt due to the efforts of Wayne's extreme floozieization, with a definite touch of red-neck. Buck wondered if floozieization was even a word. Cool Hand and Swede were inside the casino and not aware of the disguises."

"Sir?" the officer repeated, "is this your party?"

Buck with mouth open, jaw lowered, hesitantly said, ". . . . . . . . .Uh. . .no! No, sir. I have never seen these ladies before in my entire life. I was just leaving." He placed a hand over the side of his face and whispered to Willy, "I'll be in the motor home. As I said—I don't know this bunch and I don't think you should either."

The security guard, assisting the parking attendants, since he was in the area said, "Good afternoon, ladies. Welcome to Pearl River Resort. If I may be of assistance, don't hesitate to ask." He extended a hand to Susan, over made up, chewing gum, with a cigarette in her hand.

Betty, just as gaudy in dress and appearance, said, handing a tumbler to one of the attendants, "Hold this for me, sweetie. She then handed him a five dollar bill. Gale and Jeannine followed suit with two other attendants and started into the casino.

"I'm sorry, ladies," the security officer said, "but outside drinks cannot brought into the casino." The four of them handed the glasses to Wayne and C. T. and smiled.

"It looks as though you ladies are ready for some serious gambling," one of the young attendants said.

"Of course, we here to gamble, Cochise," Susan said, trying to appear inebriated. "You need to get into the right comic strip." The four of them flounced into the lobby and the limousine pulled away, behind Wayne and C. T.

"How were our ancestors so stupid as to allow this country to fall into the hands of these peckerwoods?" the young Indian attendant asked his associate.

The senior security officer, Walter, the one the crew had dubbed Big Chief Wahoo, said, "It was taken from **your** ancestors, young buck, not mine. _My_ ancestors were proud chiefs, warriors,. not wussies"

"The wrong people were in charge," the younger man said but realized that bandying words with a tribal elder, even one who is about to be forced into retirement, is unwise. He added, changing the subject, "You look a little tired. Are you feeling alright?"

His choice of words to change the subject did not set well with the older man but he said only, "I feel fine. As soon as the vault scenes are finished, I will be leaving for a few days and you can deal with the sins of your forefathers."

The low hum of the generator in the motor home was the only sound that greeted Buck as he entered the cool comfort of the motor home and activated the screens he had set up. He removed a Diet Coke from the refrigerator, pulled the tab and sat down. "Guys, give me a signal," He said. "Are the ear pieces working?" After he called roll and got a positive reply from everybody except Trixie, he began reviewing the scenes from the vault and to amuse himself, peeked a view of the various areas in the casinos. By chance he saw Cathy and said, "Hey, gal, what in the world do you want with a yacht?"

"I haven't decided yet," she said. "Being a pirate seems to fit, here of late. Have you seen the crew? They walked by me and I didn't even know who they were until they spoke."

"Trixie and Josh didn't report in," Buck said. "Have you seen them?"

"She is probably with Walter and just couldn't talk. Josh is with the female, I think. It's a little busy in this area, as you probably can see. Is everything set?"

"Everything except that we will not get the big one," Buck said. "That and the fact that Swede didn't get to find out if his gadgets work."

"They work well enough. Keep an eye on us and sing out if anything come up."

Buck opened up Joe's mail and after reading the latest, opened the channel to all the crew. "News flash, guys," he said. "It seems that our competition has decided to sell the numbers to the big game for tonight. As you know, the numbers change at midnight but we are in good shape. We have plenty of time to get it before they do. The numbers will be given to them just before 11:00 P.M., somewhere in Las Vegas. They can be in some real hot water if we play the numbers before they do."

"Water is not what they will be in," Willy said. "It will more likely be an anthill filled with doo-doo and some real nasty ants, to say the least. I didn't expect them to sell the numbers to the big one."

"The decision was not unanimous," Buck said. "Joe is not happy about it and is trying to stop it and I don't think Walter even knows about it. This may just turn out to be a monkey wrench for their plan. Everybody, stand by. I'll continue to read what I can and keep you informed."


	20. Chapter 20

,

**CHAPTER NINETEEN **

**Motor home—Parking lot at Golden Moon Casino—6:30 P.M.**

Buck continued monitoring the group, except that they were not in a group but milling about in the crowd, separately. He spotted Wayne close to the lotto game machines, waiting to make sure that he could get a machine. This was usually not a problem but he chose not to risk waiting too long. C. T. was in another part of the casino, close to four of the machines that the whistle would affect. "C. T.," he said, "are the girls in place?"

"They are close at hand," came the reply, "but they don't look like the same ladies who attended my wedding this afternoon. Wayne and his two assistants went overboard on the makeover."

"That's for sure," he agreed. The quick response both pleased and reassured Buck when. Wayne let a small laugh slip out that was joined in by the girls who all had the ear pieces and hidden microphones except Shirley and Mary but C. T. said they were in the area as well. "We have plenty of time, guys," he said. "Be calm." His comments served to calm his own semi-jittery nerves more than those he sought to calm. He had little to do except talk and monitor the screens. The last thing he expected was a knock at the door and it sounded like a battering ram. "Be calm," he repeated, this time to himself. His heart raced for a moment but slowed when he recognized the voices. He stopped the disk of the activity in the vault when the cameras had gone blank.

"This looks like the interior of a NASA shuttle," Cathy said.

"This girl has been everywhere, hasn't she, Buck?" Trixie said.

"A few places, anyway. I thought you were meeting with Walter."

"Walter is in the hospital," she said. "Appendicitis. I just came from there."

"That means that Charlene will have to work in the vault tonight," Buck said. "What did the doctor say about Walter? Is he alright?"

"He didn't get to see the doctor," Trixie said. "In fact, he said that it would be later before he would get to see him. Walter said that, while I drove him to the hospital. He knew that the doctor would not be in. He said that he had appendicitis. The intern who admitted him didn't say anything about what it was but put him in a bed. He asked him a few questions, took his temperature and blood pressure, the usual. He was bent over a little and acted irritable and he chewed out an orderly because the bathroom did not have any toilet paper which he said that he needed desperately and got within two minutes. They know and fear his wrath even in the hospital, nurses and interns included."

Buck's cell phone rang. It was Josh. "Walter is sick," he said. "Charlene will have to work in the vault and I think they have moved up the schedule."

"I just heard," Buck said. "Trixie took him to the hospital but she and Cathy are here with me now." He paused for a moment and said, handing the phone to Cathy, "Here. He wants to talk to you."

"Yeah," she said. "Thanks. There are a lot more of them available than I thought." She talked for a minute, at first so that Trixie and Buck could hear and then she walked to the end of the living room area of the motor home. "Help me pick one out. See you later."

"Yachts?" Buck asked.

"We did a show for some rich dude on a yacht a few years ago," Trixie said, "and she has wanted one ever since. Or she thinks she does."

"I looked over some of the prices," Buck said, "and you should have enough."

"If we can get into that vault, I will have more than enough," she said. "That is part of why I looked into it. How did you plan to get the big pot to the islands? Cool Hand can't not just have his bank transfer it for you. Those people ask a lot of embarrassing questions."

"So will the Coast Guard," Buck said. "Twenty five bundles of hundred dollar bills attract the curious, even thieves like us. And unlike us, some thieves are violent."

"Not if you hire one of them to drive the boat for you."

"The sailor, the Lieutenant Commander?" Buck asked. "And they don't drive the boat, they pilot or captain it."

"Whatever. I'm selling shares in the boat. Interested?"

"Getting interested but you don't have the boat yet. Will you be the Captain?"

"Captain, my ass," she replied, lighting a cigarette. "I'll hire a captain. I intend to ride the boat."

"With Josh?"

"Maybe."

"What about the sailor?"

"He has a wife who also happens to be in the Coast Guard and she has her Second Mate's papers. The plan was to hire both of them and let them pick a crew."

"And conceal the money on the boat? Under their noses?"

"The simpler the plan, the better," she replied. "Isn't that what you always say?"

"Until this came up," Buck said. "I guess the plan is simple enough, though. It's the details that got hairy on us. Thank goodness we have the likes of Swede, Willy and Cool Hand. And now, you! Action in the vault! There's the Princess!"

"You guys have more surveillance than the casino security people do," Trixie said. "Did you get a look at the vault when the cameras went out?"

"Yeah," Buck said, pointing to the laptop to his right. "It is quite boring to watch."

"Looking at one hundred million dollars is not boring," Trixie said, "especially if there is a chance, however slim, that we can haul it away."

"The view we recorded is in the vault and the area just outside the vault," Buck said. "The views are from three cameras and the view lasts last one minute before switching. Tell me if you think Walter knew that the lights were about to go out."

"I already think he knew," Trixie said. "He was still laughing about it on the way to the hospital, despite his supposed pain. He especially thought it was funny, the way the lighting technician reacted. Charlene too."

"It's good to have some company out here," Buck said. "Why don't you read Joe's mail, Cathy? See if anything else is bothering them. Drinks and snacks are in the refrigerator."

Cathy logged on and entered Joe's password. "Dadgumitlittlejoe," she said. "What a password, that didn't do him a bit of good."

"They are setting up the lights and cameras in the vault now," Buck said. "I wonder where Josh is. He opened his channel and said, "Josh, they are setting up."

"Just got the word," he replied. "Cool Hand and Swede are in the area. Gotta go!"

"Little Joe is up in arms about the decision to sell the numbers to the big game," Cathy said. "And Walter doesn't know about it, does he? Too bad we can't tell him."

"Why would they not sell it?" Trixie asked. "Wouldn't they make more that way? What are they up to?"

"That's the question," Buck said, motioning with the index finger of his hand he held the Diet Coke with as he took a sip. "There's the little twerp who got the other role we wanted and all we get to do it watch! When you two were working with the magician; you didn't by chance learn to cast spells, did you?"

"We tried to convince some people we could," Trixie said, "but it never worked."

Cathy opened the refrigerator, retrieved a can of beer, pulled the tab and said, "I'll cast a spell on her. Watch this witch dance!"

"Not her," Buck said, again pointing to the young actor in the vault area. "**Him!**"

Cathy did a few silly dance moves and then settled for the universal, one-fingered gesture, aimed at the monitor. She then took a long pull from the beer can and said, "Well, so much for my witchcraft."

Buck smiled with chagrin for a moment and then his expression changed. "Good Grief!" he said. "What did you do, girl? Look!" The young actor began vomiting and backed up against the wall. Charlene appeared to be frantic as well. Buck accessed Josh's headset and asked, "What's happening? My view is now from inside the vault."

"What's the problem, fellow?" Josh asked the young man. "Are you alright?"

His only response was, "I have to get out of here!"

"What is it, Charlene?" Josh asked. "Claustrophobia, or just something he ate?"

"I don't know," she said, "but I'll get him out of here. Stay here with the filming crew."

"Cool Hand," Buck said, "get to the elevator and put on your best actor face. Wayne, C. T., shed the threads and the facial hair and get to your truck. Get the girls in place and flag Graddock. Plan A is back on, I think!"

"We're on it! We are **all** on it. I never told Graddock to forget about trashing the junker. He was going to do that anyway. I think he enjoys it. He could have a problem."

Buck switched the view to the elevator, where Cool Hand arrived, just in time to assist the panicked young man. Charlene ordered a cleanup crew to the vault as Wayne and C. T. walked up. "Are we ready for the armored truck scene?" Wayne asked.

"No, not yet," the director said, "and we are behind schedule. I need another actor, one who will not panic in enclosed spaces."

"You have the man who did it before, standing in front of you," Wayne said, pointing to Cool Hand "and he has already been to make-up."

The director looked to Charlene for approval and when she nodded, he said, "Very well. As soon as they get set we will go back down. Okay?"

Twenty minutes later, when the clean-upcrew returned from the vault, Charlene, Cool Hand and the director got on the elevator. "Your partner is on his way, Josh," Buck said. He closed the channel and said, "We're in! **Yes, we're in!**" He walked over and gave Cathy a hug and added, "I don't what you did or how you did it, but you did it. We're in! We're in!" After a brief little dance, he said, "Now, let's get out! Let's get out with what we came for."

They watched the monitors as Charlene opened the massive steel door and the crew moved the lights into place. Cool Hand went through about the same motions as he had done before. After a couple of takes, which the director seemed to enjoy repeating, Cool Hand said, "Chief, we don't have any shots of me playing the lotto-slot. When will we do that?"

"Later," the director said. "We need to clear this restricted area as soon as possible."

Josh purposely smiled a few times when he knew that he was supposed to display a menacing look. Charlene tried to smile with Josh but was anxious to leave the area. After six takes of Cool Hand handling and otherwise fondling the money that Charlene had provided, it was over. She collected and counted the bills and then placed them into a drawer. After she locked the drawer and the cameras and lights were placed outside the vault, she closed and locked the massive door, using her card, fingerprint and number.

"We will not need these lights again," the director said, ordering the crew to move them to one side. One of the lights shown into a camera lens, temporarily closing the iris. "We can now move up stairs. You know what to do. When the elevator returns, just come up."

"Something's not just right," Buck said. "Get the recording of the vault earlier."

"It's right behind you, Buck," Cathy said as she turned the laptop around so that he could view the screen. "What is it?"

"Look!" he said, "The dolly with the money." He switched the view back and forth between the scene inside the vault before the little camera glitch and the same view after Walter had sent the crews and Charlene upstairs and the glitch was fixed. The dolly moved! It shouldn't have! That's is how they are going to do it. We are going to roll the money out for them. Walter has already switched the money. The real money is outside the vault!"

"Cool Hand, Josh," Buck said. "Listen!. I have reason to believe that you are leaning against the real money. Walter has switched it. As soon as the area is cleared, place the lasers and scotch the elevator doors."

"Tell me when you can't see us," Cool Hand said.

"Go on camera one," Buck said. He waited for it to clear and said, "Go on two! And now on three. One mouse is blind. Go. He waited another minute and said, "No. 2 is out. No. 3 is out. We have three blind mice. We can't see you or the money dolly. Check it."

"You are right, Buck," Cool Hand said. "This is the real money! We were about to put it back into the vault!

"Check several of the bundles, just to make sure," Buck said. **"Be sure!"**

"I'm a banker!" Cool Hand said. "Remember?" I know real money when I see it."

"Okay", Buck said, deliberately slowing his rate of speech, "okay! I'll guide you on removing the lasers. You won't have to get into the vault. How's the old pulse rate?"

"Low," Cool Hand said. "Surprisingly low!"

"Being cool is how he got his name," Josh said.

"That's not the way I heard it," Buck said. "Remove the chocks. Remove laser No. 3. . .No. 1. . .now get No. 2. The cameras are back on!" He switched to the scene on the gaming floor, close to the elevator where the girls were to use the whistle and create a bit of confusion. They had three security people in the area, dancing with them. "Act casual."

"That's easy for you to say," Josh said.

"Yes, it is," Buck said, "and the pair of you are to be saluted. And you will be saluted. Gail, blow the whistle. Wayne, give Graddock the word."

"As you may be able to see," Swede said, "they have already invoked the whistle and the area is an absolute perfect pandemonium. The din is terrific! And Rome is burning!"

"So much for simple replies," Buck said.

The elevator returned to the vault less than five minutes later and they joined a state of confusion. Three machines, adjacent to the elevator entrance area had just been jackpotted and a car was on fire just outside the entrance to the loading dock. The jackpot winners were dancing, creating enough commotion to attract the attention of a few floor attendants as well as the security people. The high intensity lights blinded them as the elevator door opened. Swede stepped into the camera range even though he was not part of the crew. The director ignored all of the distractions and continued.

"Keep up the noise and chatter," Buck said to the girls. "Wayne, C. T., they should be coming to the dock in about five. They will probably do several takes. After you get the goods loaded, sing out. I will have the other truck out and running."

Buck switched his view to the dock and saw Wayne and C. T. chatting with the real security guards. The lights were in place but were not on. Ten minutes passed before one of the filming crew came to the dock to get everybody set up.

"Those guys are hams," Cathy said. "Look at them try to get in front of the camera. If I was the director, I would kick their ass."

With Cool Hand and Josh helping and nervously trying to match Wayne's and C. T.'s antics, they took a full half-hour to load the money into the already opened truck.

Wayne got behind the wheel and started the vehicle. C. T. said, "Buck, we are about to move. Get ready. Cathy and Trixie handled the flaps on the awning. As soon as they pulled under the awning, they closed them and Wayne and C. T. switched to the other truck. Cool Hand said, "I'll ride to Hueytown with you and help conceal the money."

"You can't," Buck said. "You have to be on hand here to take care of the banking arrangement for the lotto game. Cathy can do that. Trixie, go back to see Walter and find out if he knows anything yet. You don't _'know'_ anything about any of the events here, except maybe you thought you saw a fire truck, three of which are now in the area along with the local police."

Behind the closed awning flaps, Cathy and Buck removed the armored truck facade, revealing the almost rusty looking vehicle with the home improvement signs on the sides. Buck went back into the motor home and located Swede and said, "We didn't get a chance to try the cards on the vault but we didn't even _have_ to get into the vault. Walt did it for us."

"I can live with not knowing," Swede said.

"Come to the motor home and take over the monitoring," Buck said, "and ask Shirley and Mary if they want to go to Hueytown. Tell them they will have to work and that it will be seven or eight hours before we return here."

Ten minutes later, Swede, Shirley and Mary got to the motor home, breathing hard from having run the entire distance, about seventy-five yards, from the front of the casino to the motor home. "Trixie, grab a few soft drinks and some snacks from the fridge and let's go," Buck said with a voice that danced. "It worked, it worked. Oh, yes! It worked. You guys pulled it off! It worked! It worked!" Reigning in his excitement, he added, "This will be an uncomfortable ride, so you should also get a couple of folding chairs from the motor home and we are on the road."

"This isn't going to be uncomfortable at all," Shirley said. "Riding with money is never uncomfortable, especially when it's yours."

"Cathy," Buck said as he pulled onto County Road 16, "do you know how to open the panels in the floor and sides? Most of it will fit into the floor. There are 50 cubic feet of it."

"I got one practice session," she said. "Shirley, do you know how much each share is?"

"Eleven point one, one, one + million and Wayne and the others are going to take them for over six million more each but who's counting? There isn't that much money in the world. Not the world I have been in."

"Just to satisfy yourselves," Buck said, "open two or three of the stacks."

"We already have," Cathy replied, "and let me tell you: I have seen a lot of beautiful things in my life, Buck, but they have just been bumped down a notch on the pretty-to-look-at scale. Just about all of them. One thing is for sure and that is that none of us will have to worry about staying awake tonight. Just don't speed and get a ticket or attract any attention! Say, it was lucky for us that you noticed that the dolly had been moved."

"I had seen it," Buck said. "We all had but something just wasn't right. Trixie told me that she was convinced that Walter knew the doctor on duty at the hospital would be gone. And she also said that he went the head, the bathroom, and complained that there was no paper there."

"So?"

"He told them that he had appendicitis. His bowels would have been blocked if he had appendicitis. I guessed that he was faking it so that he would be away from the vault when the money was moved. That plus the fact that the dolly the money was on had been moved."

"You know your shit, Buck," Cathy said.

"Thank you, Cathy. I think." **Back at the Moon—Loading dock—9:00 P.M**. "Sir," Wayne called out to the guard assisting the filming crew, "where is the dolly? I need to get this stage money unloaded and back to the vault. It looks too real to keep where people can see it."

"It's in that storage room," the man answered, pointing to a locked, double door. "I'll open it for you but you will have to wait until help comes to get in unloaded." He measured Wayne and C. T. for a response and waited before continuing. He then added, "Unless you want to lend a hand and do it yourself."

"We are in a hurry," Wayne said. "Can you call them?"

Using a name he pulled from the air, C. T. said, "Look, Jeremy, those girls will not wait all night. Hey, fella, get the dolly. We'll do it ourselves. Just show us where to put it."

The guard smiled. "Just put it on the dolly and roll it back into the utility room. I'll take care of it after that. It will be sold to one of the filming companies. And, guys, thanks."

Swede watched the unloading on the monitor. When they had finished, he said, "Guys, get back into your other garb and character. Little Joe and his gang. . .well, Little Joe, himself was against the sale but it takes place in about an hour. We have until then to play the numbers before they change. I would not want to have to explain to those people why the numbers were old ones. That will be Little Joe's problem."

Wayne was starting the engine when he replied. He said, "The Nerd. . .he is the one who made the unauthorized sale, isn't he? He could claim that the number were good but they were too slow. He _'gave no guarantees'_ that somebody else would not guess the winning numbers."

"That would satisfy me," Swede said. "What about you C. T.?"

"Absolutely," C. T. said. "I'm just glad that the _'person'_ who is going to punch in the winning numbers does not actually exist.

"One of the girls with one of the 'shares'. . .I don't know which, will just happen to be in the area when you win," Swede said. "She will have Mr. Custer paged. You do know that George Custer is Cool Hand's real name, didn't you?" "Didn't some Indians kill his ass?" Wayne asked. "We rehearsed the fracas so many times that the girls, as you frequently call your lovely wives, were ready to revolt. You would think that they were professional actors."

"The fact that the '_winner'_ and his side-kick, namely, yours truly," C. T. said. "will vanish, will, I hope, lend some credence to the story that all of us real people were conned."

"Mr. Custer will not be able to contact all of us for over a week," Willy said. "We will see how it goes. Put on a good show! It's bad luck to say _"Break a leg". _We may have to run."

It was crowded in the area around the lotto game machines and Wayne had to wait twenty-five minutes to get on one of them. Swede, watching from the motor home was about to get nervous. Time was running close. "Hurry, Wayne," he urged, over their clandestine communication hook-up, whispering to make sure no one heard him, knowing that only Wayne could.

Wayne was putting on his best performance, pretending first that he was a renowned mathematical expert/scientist and then a Hindu fakir who could see the future. He was drawing a crowd. That was the plan but still Swede was concerned that he was overdoing it."

Willy said, "Relax, Swede. The numbers will be delivered at 10:00 P.M. Pacific time. That's two hours behind us. We have plenty of time."

"We think that," Swede said. "We don't really know."

Wayne gave Swede the agreed upon signal and Swede read the numbers to him, although he had them memorized. Bells, whistles and sirens sounded and Wayne did one of his patented dances, only to be interrupted by Shirley and Betty, who promptly presented a copy of the '_agreement_' that had been drawn up.

"Make yourself hard to find, Cool Hand," Swede said.

Jeannine and Susan, still attired as over-painted floozies made their way to the area. Disorder was about to start when Charlene arrived. She suggested that the interested parties convene in her office where she explained that the money would be paid out only through an established financial institution. She recognized the name Custer as being the person who had played the winner on both of the commercials and had him paged.

A full half-hour passed before he arrived. When he saw Wayne, he said, "What has this con man done now? Has he taken money from these people as well?"

"The crook won," Jeannine said, "and he was trying to skip out with all of it. We put money into his fund to play that game and part of it is ours."

Finally, Wayne _'agreed'_ to have Mr. Custer open an account that only the casino and the _'investors'_ had the number to. "The bank I work for," Cool Hand said, "is in Birmingham. The casino here has had some dealings with them in the past and I will be happy to make the arrangements but the bank will not be open until Monday."

Wayne signed the release of the money to the custody of Cool Hand's bank with him as the executor and left. "I gave that guy $30.00," Cool Hand said. "I never expected to see it or him again but I don't think he expected to see me or any of the others on this list either. Well, I have to contact them. Hey, for this kind of money, I will adopt them. Can we keep their names confidential until I can clear the arrangements with my bank. Being a banker and gambling does not go well with the image my bank wishes to put before the public even if my time and play here is strictly for entertainment and amusement."

It will be difficult to keep your name and face out of the public eye, Mr., Custer," Charlene said. "In fact your face has already been seen by a large segment of the country. How does your bank accept your being in a commercial, now two commercials, for gambling establishments."

"Bankers are not really all that prudish," Cool Hand said. "My supervisors, the vice presidents and so forth, know about it and they even josh me about it." He waited for a response to his use of the word _'josh'_ but she remained stone-faced. "They enjoy a few of the fun things themselves, despite their reputation but I sincerely hope that my involvement can be kept to a minimum." Intending to ramble and annoy her, he continued. "Talk about a coincidence. My girl friend. . .well, now my wife, talked me into trying to get into the commercial in the first place and by luck, I did, not only in the first one but the second as well. Pity the poor guy who got sick, the actor, the one who threw up in the vault. The other guy, the one I came up on the elevator with said that it almost got on him."

"Mr. Gable," she offered.

"Gable?" Cool Hand asked, checking the list of "investors', "J. D. Gable? His name is on the list. If J. D. happens to be his name. He must have been caught by that. . .bless his con-artist's little heart, just like I was. Where can I find him I wonder? It may take some time to locate some of these people. Can you believe I actually won the big one?"

"Actually, Mr. Custer," she reminded him, "you didn't win. Mr. Shaw. . .Elmer D. Shaw won. He only named you the executor."

"And share-holder in his little con game that skyrocketed. I may not have to worry about that bunch of stuff-shirts at the bank much longer."

"Stuff-shirts?" she said softly and added. "In any case, Mr. Custer, we here at Pearl River Resort want to congratulate you and your fellow beneficiaries on your good fortune."

"Fortune is right!" Cool Hand exclaimed. "What will be my part of the payout?"

"That will depend upon the terms of the agreement you have made with Mr. Shaw and the others. All of the necessary documents have been processed here for now. The funds will be transferred to your bank as soon as possible. How long will you be here at the resort?"

"I had planned to leave tomorrow but this now becomes official bank business. I can stay as long as necessary."

"Check with me in the morning," she said, "at 10: A.M. or later and I will advise you if you need to do any more here."

"At least the resort won't have to secure permission to use my likeness," Cool Hand said. "You already have that. I don't know about Mr. Shaw."

"He was insistent that we not use his name or likeness," she said. "Ten A. M., Mr. Custer."

"Right. You know. . .if I had parked where I usually do, I wouldn't have run into that guy. . ."

She was all but pushing him out the door. They had a winner and they could not even use his name or face. Cool Hand smiled as he walked out the door. "Swede, how much of that did you hear?"

"Enough to think that she should have kicked you out sooner. You are a real pain, buddy. Good job! I'll fill the others in."

"Just remember," Cool Hand said. "We don't run until we turn the corner!"

I know the idea behind that," Swede said. "We all do but I don't know where it originated."

"Part of Buck's youth was misspent, if not gloriously, at least happily, in Panama City, Florida," Cool Hand said. "There was a place on the beach called the _Hang Out_. It was just a covered dance floor a few yards from the water. Another few yards from the dance floor was a gift shop that sold everything from suntan lotion to beer. Okay, those two items are next to each other in Panama City, with the suntan lotion coming in a distant second."

"As you know, having fun and hell-raising is separated by a thin line, depending upon whether you are having the fun or as the local constabulary viewed it, having to put up with it."

"You are referring to the Roy Farr maneuver," Swede said. "Right?"

"Correct," Cool Hand said. "It seems that the illustrious Mr. Farr was engaged in a slight altercation—you know, fun/fight. One of the local peace keepers, consisting largely of also young, athletic types, sought to question Mr. Farr's merriment and probably extract what little funds he had on him to stay out of jail. They both saw each other but the young deputy did not realize that Roy had seen him. His plan was to be upon him before he knew he was being pursued. Roy began walking from the dance floor toward the gift shop, not hastily, but leaving the scene in a 'cool and calculated manner'."

"Buck witnessed this from the dance floor?" Swede asked.

"Right," Cool Hand said. "Roy proceeded toward the gift shop, knowing that the deputy, not wanting to create a scene, was just a few feet behind but instead of going into the gift shop, Roy turned left toward the corner of the building. The deputy knew that as soon as Roy cleared the corner, all he would have to do is break into a run an catch him, because he knew that his prey was unaware of his presence. Not so! When Roy cleared the corner he turned on the burners and all but evaporated; he left as fast as Jethro Bodine answers a meal call. Buck still laughs about the event every time he tell it. He said that Charlie Chaplin could not have expressed his surprise and frustration as the young deputy did. He looked under cars, on top of them, even a trash can. There was no way that a human could have vanished that quickly. But Mr. Farr did!"


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

**Near Buck's Home—Hueytown—12:30 A.M.**

Buck reached into the door pouch and retrieved a set of keys to his van, parked under an open-ended carport and said, handing them to Cathy, "Here, get the van and follow us. And you can shed the rubber gloves for now if you like. That is just for when we are in this truck. Park in the Hardee's lot next to the mini storage, as close as you can and as out of view as you can." He knew that his paranoia was showing. "And get the portable air tank from behind the rear seat and bring it with you. We will be just a few yards away."

Shirley and Mary had the roll-up door opened and ready when Buck backed the truck into position at the end storage garage on the third row from the front of the facility. He left the headlights on, making no attempt to avoid being seen, mentally compensating for his remarks to Cathy about trying to appear covert.

"I feel like a burglar," Cathy said, as she approached, carrying a green freon tank fitted with valves and a gage for air storage. Do you have the next compartment rented as well?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Would like to buy some fine furniture, real cheap?"

"Not tonight," she answered. "Is this stuff yours?"

"Actually, it belongs to the group," Buck said. "We picked it up in yard sales around the area. Open that one and we will get a couple of chairs or tables or something to put over here when we finish."

"Where is the air tank you mentioned," Shirley asked.

"Here," Cathy said, still wearing the gloves. "Are the tires low?"

"One of them will be," Mary said. "We want it to look as though it has been here for a while but when we come back to get it, we will need, and with this tank, will be able to air it back up. What name did you use to rent these spaces? Not you own?"

"Harbin," Buck said, smiling. "Joel Harbin. We had him do some legal work for us recently. Real nice SOB. He may be looking to relocate. We may just leave the furniture for him. Give me another couple of minutes to place the switches on the doors so that we will know if anybody opens them and then we can head back."

"Is that some of Swede's spy stuff?" Mary asked. "It won't explode, will it?"

"No, it will just transmit a signal to Willy's house if anybody opens one of the roll-up doors. He lives closer to here than the rest of us. When we refer to the truck, just say that it is in my uncle's driveway, on Church Street. There use to be two rows of company houses here, for miners and other employees of a local iron producer. Woodward Iron, I think it was."

"Did you uncle actually live here?" Cathy asked.

"He said that he was born here and this space is just about where his, well actually his dad's, driveway was. We're set here. Let's go next door and get something to eat before we start back. They have the best biscuits you will find in these parts. Who's buying?"

"I will," Shirley said and laughed. "I have to get used to being a big-time spender. Hardee's is as good a place as any to start."

They picked a table in the corner of the room with the Plexiglas covering. When Cathy moved her chair, it made a rattling, annoying sound. The only other people in the room were two elderly couples. The sound annoyed them, especially one of them who gave Buck a stare that he had seen before, a couple of months earlier at the BP station on Highway 16.

Cathy noticed the exchange of glances and said to Mary, "I wonder what those old folks are up to, this late. No good, most likely."

"_**They're**_ up to no good?" Mary said and rubbed her two index fingers at her in shame. "Lightning could strike."

Buck's phone rang just as Shirley set the food on their table. It was Swede. "What's up in Indian Country? Our fortune, I hope." He smiled and raised both thumbs, continuing to hold the phone against his ear. "We will be starting back in about twenty minutes." The ringing phone also had annoyed the lady across the room who obviously thought that cell phones use in dining establishments should be treated as a felony.

"Well?" Cathy asked.

"Ladies," Buck said. "We now have, or will have as soon as Cool Hand can finalize the arrangements with his bank, an additional $6M+ each. Can you handle it?"

On their way out, Cathy stopped briefly at the table where the elderly couples were seated. She leaned over and said, "I am going to slap him as soon as I get him outside. I have warned him about using that blamed thing in public. The two men with the ladies forced back a grin."

"The bench seat in the rear folds down into a bed," Buck said as he turned right onto Allison-Bonnet Memorial Drive, toward the interstate highway. "The controls are on the right side and all of the other seats will lean back far enough to at least nap. If anybody needs a pit stop, sing out."

**Motor home—Parking lot at Golden Moon Casino—6:00 A.M****.**

"I trust you had an uneventful trip," Willy said, as the four travelers entered the living room of the motor home. "Nothing has happened in the vault and the _'money'_ is still in the storage room where Wayne and C. T. left it. If I believed that there was that much real money sitting on a dolly, waiting for somebody to bring to me, I don't know that I could discipline myself to wait."

"How is Walter, Trixie?" Buck asked. "Still in the hospital?"

"Since we all wanted to know," she replied, "I went to check on him, real early this morning so that they could see my genuine concern. Walter _'checked out'_ six hours before he even got _to_the hospital. Their records show that he was admitted Friday night. He's gone!"

"Our over-sized Indian has influence, and probably even control over records and the activities everywhere in this resort," Wayne said as he poured C. T. a cup of coffee.

"Do you think that Walter and. . .Bryant, the Nerd, sold the numbers and took the whole 10% without telling the others?" Buck asked.

"It's not just the 10%," Willy said. "He has, or thinks he has, the entire $100M in the storage room"

And there hasn't been any undue activity here?" Buck asked. "No panic? No troops? No police? No Indians on the war path?"

"Not a peep," Willy said. "Swede and Cool Hand have been alternating keeping an eye on the storage room and making themselves seen in the casino. They are in the rack now, down the hall, catching a few Zs. Cool Hand has a meeting at ten, this morning."

"I've had a few hours sleep," Mary said. "I can take that spot. Whose car are they using?"

"Mine," Willy said. "Josh is there now. You know what it looks like."

"Take this coffee with you," Gail said, handing her a thermos and two plastic cups and picking up a cell phone. "The creamer and sweetener are behind you if you want it. I'll call Josh and tell him that relief is on the way."

"I'll call him," Cathy said. "Hand me the phone. I have a couple of questions to ask him. He's going to help me find a boat."

"Make that **our** boat, Cathy," Buck said, "and make it a big one. I, for one, like your plan to use it to move the money to the islands."

"Any island in particular?" Trixie asked. "Do you have one in mind?"

"St. Vincent," Buck said. "They have a lot of yachts for sale there I understand and for some reason, some of the sellers will not sell to Americans in American waters. It's probably a legal thing. That wouldn't be a problem there and it would be an excuse to go to a Great vacation area, I understand."

"After Cool Hand has his meeting with the princess," Willy said, "I recommend we fall into our usual routine while here. Trixie should slip out the back way, although if Walter has in fact flown the coup, it won't matter too much if she is seen with any of us."

"She does have a _'legitimate'_ reason to contact us," Mary said. "She is on the list of people who were _'scammed'_ by the infamous Mr. Shaw, AKA Wayne Gavin,"

"For now," Trixie said, "limiting our open contact is probably best."

"Cathy," Buck said, "put Josh on hold for a minute. I have a suggestion to make. After I catch a couple of hours sleep, what do you say that we hit the buffet in the Star. That is everybody except Trixie and Josh. Then we wander around the casinos for an hour or so and then head east. We take tomorrow off and say. . .at 6:30 Tuesday we meet at my place for a barbecue and critique. Get as much information as you can before we leave."

"Make that Willy's place," Cool Hand said. "I'll order everything except the barbecue itself."

"Willy's it is," Buck conceded. "I'll get the drinks."

**Willy's patio—Tuesday evening—6:30 P.M****.**

The first thing to get Buck's and Gail's attention when they got out of their car was Hawaiian music. Hanging from the deck at the rear of the house was a 6 ft. wide x 4 ft. high picture of a yacht that Buck guess to be at least 120 ft. long. "That's an ocean liner. Are we going to Hawaii?

"No," Willy said, "I just don't have any Calypso music. And you are right. The boat is 127 feet long. It has six state rooms on the main deck and twelve more smaller ones on deck two plus crew's quarters that you would not believe. At least that's the propaganda on the internet.

"You bought it?" Gail asked.

"We don't have the money yet," Cathy said. "At least not any that we can claim. It should be in our accounts by the end of the week. Isn't it a beauty?"

"The poster makes it look new," Jeannine said. "When was it built?"

"It came off the ways in June of '98," Josh said, "and it was refitted in January '03 with an enlarged dining room and a small casino room in addition to more decadent amenities than you can shake a stick. On paper, it is impressive and it looks good in the pictures."

"How much?"

"Seven point eight million," Cathy said. "Less than one million each. The problem is that the agent, a Frog—Frenchman, is treating us as though we are from Dog Patch. The owner is Spanish."

"You tell that Frenchman that we may want two of his boats," Shirley said.

"So far we have contacted only the agent," Josh said. "It will be in the Bahamas this week end. I am sure that the owner, if he, or she, is interested in selling, will be friendly enough to deal with. Dog Patch, you say?"

"I imagine they do get a lot of inquiries from the curious rather than the serious," Buck said. "Cool Hand, can you transfer, say $1M from each share to an account in the islands."

"No problem. I'll need signatures on a few papers but the process is routine. Are we all in accord on this." Every hand went up.

"You said that you were going to check it out first, Josh," Cathy said. "We aren't just buying a used car here. Do you know enough about boats to do it?"

"No, I don't but I know a marine engineer who does. I'll try to locate him. While I'm doing that, everybody lend Willy a hand to get the food ready. I know about as much about cooking as I do about yachts"

"Same here," Buck said. "When can you have the money in place so that the snooty agent can verify that Cathy has the funds, Cool Hand?"

"I can have all of the papers ready by Thursday," Cool Hand said. "Did you say that this liner has. . .eighteen state rooms? Why so large, Cathy?"

"The lieutenant commander, the one we met on the cruise, said that he has always wanted to captain a cruise ship. I'll find out if he is serious. We can take on charters. There are a lot of very rich people who like to be on yachts certain times of the year but don't want to be bothered with owning one. I'll let the sailor hire a crew to sail it and even run the business. You know that he will hire people in the Coast Guard."

"Give me a few hours aboard it, "Wayne said, "and I will find a place to stow the money. If we do decide to buy it, it won't take me and C. T. long to rework a few panels."

"Aren't the Coast Guard people aware of such hiding places you may come up with, Wayne," Willy asked. "Despite what you may see in bad movies, those people aren't dummies."

"No, they aren't," Wayne said. "But this will be _'their'_ boat. They will have the run of it anytime they like and will spend more time on it that we will. It's their job to maintain a secure coast. We will have to slip only one bundle past them and then just once. It is a big bundle but we can do it. We aren't dummies either, are we?"

"All of the votes are not in on that, Sweetie," Shirley said, "but so far, I give this bunch a genius rating, all around. Crazy, but genius. Do you know how much money we have? She did a version of one of Buck's little dances." Swede and Cool Hand joined in with the dance and started the humming chant."

"I love this bunch," Gail said, "every one of you. But you scare the hell out me half the time. You may be geniuses but you're like a bunch of little boys. Let's eat. Where's Josh?"

"He went inside," Cathy said. "I'll get him."

When Josh rejoined the others in the patio, Swede said, "Tell us what you learned after we left."

"Very little, actually. I left Choctaw only a couple of hours after you did, Swede," Josh said. "Cathy just told me about the proposed trip to see the boat so I was about to call to cancel the meeting at the casino this Friday when I got a call myself. Charlene said they prefer that both she and Walter be present for the presentation but they have received some disturbing news. There was a fire aboard the cruise ship that Walter was on and some of the passengers were reported to have jumped overboard to avoid the flames."

"I heard something about a fire aboard a cruise ship this morning," Cool Hand said, "but I didn't have time to catch the whole story, with all the commercials and comments from the talking heads. Do you suppose our man, _'Big Chief Wahoo'_, staged his demise?"

"Cathy is watching the news channel now," Josh said. "She'll be out in a minute.

"What else did the princess tell you?" Buck asked. "If it isn't of a personal nature."

"An earful, actually," Josh said. "She was on the loading dock where the money from Wayne's Hong Kong press was stored."

Wayne stood up and took a bow and being in a festive mood or in the early stages of inebriation, did a small dance and then leaned over Gail's shoulder and started the hum.

"She told me that they stacked it onto the bed of a pick-up truck and covered it with a tarp and drove away. She was there to sign the release of it to the bidder."

"One of the filmers," Willy asked.

"No," Josh said. "Some local citizen bid ten dollars more than any of the theatrical groups did. She had no idea what anybody other than show people, as she called them, would do with it but she was there to handle the sale and to witness the transfer of the money in the vault. That was what she wanted from her control, hers and Walter's. We _'won'_ that as you know."

"I hope they don't pay us with that money," Swede said. "Do you think that they had two piles of money."

"I do know that the one we have on Church Street is real," Cool Hand said. "And the bank will guarantee the funds to be paid to us. The money she saw removed from their vault will probably be moved to some local bank but there will be questions to be answered if and when somebody actually opens those bundles. We know that we did not touch the money that was in the vault so if it was switched, Walter did it."

"What about Joe?" Willy asked.

"He was at work yesterday and today," Cool Hand said. "He acted a little awkward toward Cathy and me but he seemed to accept that we were just lucky. He was astounded and said so several times but I think he bought the story."

"What about his mail?" Betty asked.

"He has been trying to reach Walter and Bryant," Swede said, "but he hasn't gotten a reply."

"Josh," Willy said, "go get Cathy. The steaks are ready. Never mind, I see her."

"Guess who they think is missing in the cruise ship fire?" Cathy asked.

"Let me guess," C. T. said. "One Nerd and one Indian! Right?"

"They haven't actually released any names," Cathy said, "but the news commentators interviewed some of the passengers who gave a description of the two. One of them used the term, _'Native American'_ in appearance as one of the missing and another passenger used 'Nerd' to describe the younger man. Both were seen assisting fellow passengers."

"How did they get off the boat?" Jeannine asked. "Weren't they at sea?"

"They jumped," Cathy said, "along with several others."

"And they have recovered all of the passengers except two," Buck said. "Correct?"

"There were several small fishing boats in the area, close to one of the islands when the fire broke out," Cathy said, "according to the news, but two are still unaccounted for."

"Do you think that Joe has been crossed?" Swede asked. "He didn't agree with the sale of the numbers to the big game. I don't know what their schedule was but he was in on a three or four-way split of about $3M, twice."

Susan said, "Listen to the numbers you are using, the dollar amounts. Do you realize that Swede's and my share of this is over five times that amount. My concern is that we will spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders."

"That is the reason we are not going to run until we have turned the corner," Buck said. "I call it the Roy Farr maneuver. The casino isn't happy about not being able to name a winner but they won't divulge the our names."

"And the bank won't, either," Cool Hand said. "**But!** Joe knows who we are. There is another **'but'**, but it is in our favor. Joe can't afford to name us because it may look as though he sold the numbers to two groups, not a nice thing to do when dealing with the type of customer they had."

"He did e-mail the Nerd and two other people besides Walter saying that the deal should not go through at this time," Swede said. "And he got replies acknowledging his stand against it."

"So it looks as though the Nerd made the deal on his own?" Willy asked.

"And he and the big Indian are missing," Mary said. "They better stay missing."

"Joe has the account numbers in the island bank where they deposited the money," Buck said, "and he can learn if there is ever any activity in the accounts. But what can he do about it?"

"He can hope that the person, or persons, who made the deal with the Nerd comes under suspicion," Swede said. "And we, in the meantime, are going to stand in the sunlight and claim that our win was legitimate, albeit through the back door."

"Did you get in touch with the marine engineer, Josh." Buck asked.

"I left my number for him to call back."

"What will he cost?" Susan asked.

"Twenty percent of what he saves us or $100,000.00, plus expenses," Josh said, "whichever is greater. For that, he appraises the boat, inspects it, handles the negotiations and registers it for us. At least those were his terms the last time I talked to him. He will never believe that I am trying to buy a yacht, though."

"I can't believe that we are, any of us," Buck said. "Your engineer sounds like more than just an engineer."

"He dabbles."

"Where is the boat located?" Buck asked.

"Nassau," Josh said. "About 185 miles from Miami." He smiled and added, "Right in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle! Who wants to go look at a boat?"

"Everybody!" Cathy said. "I've already called Chuck."

"Chuck? Josh said. "Who is Chuck?

"Chuck Preston," Buck said. "He pilots charters, part time. He used to work with Cathy and me. How big a plane does he have, Cathy?"

"I told him that there would be at least fifteen," Cathy said. "He said that he can get a plane to carry twenty passengers. I'll owe him big time if Cool Hand doesn't get the money transferred."

"Not to worry," C. T. said. "We still have the whistle to say nothing of the very large, overstuffed mattress at Buck's uncle's place."

**Marina—Nassau—Saturday, 2:00 P.M.****:**

"Has your engineer arrived yet, Josh?" Buck asked.

"Yes. He and his guys got here this morning and I think they are still aboard. What do you think about it, Cathy?"

"It looks better than it did in the pictures. I just hope your man. . .uh. . ."

"Weatherby," Josh said. "Carl K. Weatherby."

"Well, I hope Carl doesn't find anything wrong with it, like say a hole in the bottom, or a slip in the jib or whatever."

"You know all of the nautical terms, don't you, Cathy?" Swede said.

"Josh!" a man on the quarterdeck of the yacht called out. "You guys come on aboard, into the main stateroom. She looks good!" Cathy smiled.

After the introductions were out of the way, Buck asked, "Are you familiar the boat?"

"Not much," Carl said, "but we have just started. All we have done so far is check the specs and the refit data. We'll spend the rest of the day and tonight checking it over. This a fancy boat and not just fancy; it's seaworthy. You guys look around, but be careful."

"See what you can find, Wayne," Swede said as the group began their unescorted tour."

"Tell me, Josh," Carl said. "How is it that you can afford to even look at a boat like this? No. No, tell me how it is that your haven't been shot by some lady's husband."

"He stays away from married women," Cathy said. "Is this boat worth the money they are asking?"

"The owner should get at least a half a million more than the current asking price," Carl said, "but he's in a bind. Rumor has it that some property deal went south on him and he has to unload a few items. This is one of the things he can live without, and why not? He has another one, even larger."

"What can we get it for?" Cathy asked.

"You haven't even looked this one over, Cathy," Carl said. "There are two more here that I didn't know about."

"This is the one I want!"

"Unless I find something, I'll offer six point two and they sail it to. . .where?'

"Gulfport, Mississippi or Mobile, Alabama."

"They will offer to dock it in Miami, most likely," Carl said. "But we'll talk to them. And you are sure about this one?"

"What do you think, Josh?

"You're the captain. This was your idea."

"Give us a tour," Cathy said. "What about the engines? Are they large enough?"

"More than large enough," Carl said as he opened the door leading to the mid-ship passageway. "All systems are over-engineered, the way I like them. Cathy went on ahead and Carl said, "Where did you get the money for this? Or should I ask where she got it?"

"There will be several of us together on the deal," Josh said, "but you should not ask. Does it show that we _'don't have money'_?"

Carl only smiled at first and then said, "If you think I can read people, wait until you meet the owner's French agent. He is aboard somewhere, or was. He knows that he will have to cut his asking price and his commission so he is not ecstatic."

"You know this. . .because. . how?"

"It has been on the market since it came out of refit. They can't sell it and they need the cash. I like making deals like this. This guy is a snob. You know the type; he kisses up to the rich and loves to put down the working class."

"And here we are, on a weekend trying to buy a yacht. Wait until he meets Cathy!"

Two hours later they regrouped in the main stateroom where the owner's agent was present but was not aware a decision to purchase had been reached. "Pending a check out of the systems and a short shake-down run, we are ready to sign," Carl said. "That, plus an agreement on price."

True to what Carl had said about the man, he could size up a person and determine to within two francs the amount of money in his pocket as he walked across carpeted floor. He was also correct when he said that he was somewhat over the barrel on the current boat sale he was negotiating. He could see tennis shoes and pull-overs and he knew that not a single person in the group had ever purchased even an automobile with out financing it.

What he did not realize was that the people with whom he was dealing cared not a farthing what his evaluation of them was. Everybody in the stateroom wanted the deal to go through and was convinced that it would, even if class related comments were exchanged. "Okay, Mack," Cathy said, "make my man, Carl, an offer so he can earn his pay."

"Perhaps we should confer privately," Carl said to the agent before any derogatory dialogue came into play and motioned to a table away from the others."

"At least he speaks English, Cathy," Susan said and laughed

"He sounds like a harelipped Cajun," Cathy replied, "but he's alright. How do you like our boat?"

"I keep expecting somebody to tell me to go back outside and wipe my feet," Susan said. "This is a fancy boat."

"Did you find a place to put it, Wayne?" Swede asked.

"Any of the upper staterooms will do. It will take a day or two to do a little refitting of our own."

Both Carl and the agent knew to within a few dollars what the deal was going to be before they excused themselves but they had some motions to go through. It was protocol, even when dealing with the newly rich. Josh and everybody also knew that both the frog and Carl worked both sides to add to their coffers. It was not necessarily protocol but they did it for the extra commissions.

With the deal in hand, the agent could no longer resist taking a cut at amusing himself. "Daisy Mae," he started, with an obvious reference to a character in an old American comic strip and then said, "I mean, Ms. McBlevins, your Mr. Weatherby drives a hard bargain. Fair, but hard. Everything he has stipulated has been agreed upon. I am sure that after your little ride to Miami, you all need to get back to your double wides. One other thing, of no real consequence really, but I wondered if you intend to rename the vessel, just for my records. I would suggest, if not a French name, something Swedish. Perhaps Mr. Nordness can come up with a suitable name, his being Swedish."

"At the renaming ceremony, you do intend to follow protocol, I hope," Swede said.

"What protocol would that be?" Cathy asked.

"The Pirate's Protocol. It was common practice to keelhaul the last owner of the vessel, or his agent, at least if the ceremony takes place in Cajun waters."

"You just made that up, didn't you?" Gail said.

Before Cathy could tune up for a reply, Josh said, "I am the one with the double-wide and yes, Chuck can meet us in Miami later today for the return trip home from there and we can arrange for the boat to be sailed on to Gulfport."

"How is the situation in Choctaw and the double-wide, Josh?" Willy asked.

"With Walter not currently at the casino, Charlene is having to fill in."

"No," Willy said. "I mean _'with'_ the princess'?" The agent perked up at the use of the word princess.

"I am now the rejected suitor in that part of the country. There is even talk about a tribal wedding. I won't be invited. Even my security card deal is on hold."

"I am sure somebody will pick up your options, Josh," Betty said.

"You can count on it," Cathy said, sneering but refraining from making any comment to the agent.

"What are you planning to name the boat, Cathy?" Buck asked, purposely standing between the French agent and Swede, "once you get it back to Gulfport. I assume that is where you will berth her."

"You guys keep asking me what will happen to the boat," she replied. "You forget that I was looking for a job when I met this group. This boat is not mine; it is **ours! **I have heard that it is unlucky to rename a ship but I just don't like the name '_Milla Noventa Ventarrò."_


	22. Chapter 22

**THINGS I MADE UP**

(**And some I didn't**)

Any similarity between the names of the characters in this story and any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. So, I made up the characters. References are made to several well known actors but is done in the context of casual conversation by the several fictitious characters. The actors are in no way part of the story itself. For instance, the appearance at the Silver Star Casino by actor/comedian Bill Cosby is mentioned and the fictitious characters planned only to buy tickets to the show that Bill Cosby would perform at the casino. Also, one of the fictitious characters, Josh, is given a likeness in appearance to Alan Ladd, a well known movie actor. No characterization associated with the now deceased actor is stated or implied.

On page 10, the word _'quadragillion' _probably should have been quadrillion, which is a legitimate word for a large number, namely 1015. The glibness displayed by the characters in this story is reflected by the use of such words: close, but no cigar. It is not as though the characters themselves and the author do not know the difference or where in the (author's) cobweb covered engineering texts to look for the correct usage but rather an attempt to realistically tag the characters as glib. The same is true for the word _'floozieization'_ in chapter 18.

It is this behind this facade of glibness or superficiality that Buck and his cronies hope to hide and ultimately pull off their plan. There are two distinct definitions of superficial: 1. Appearing as such but not necessarily so; 2. [actually] Lacking in intellectual depth or thoroughness. It is the former and not the latter definition they prefer. The intent is to use the facade not only as a shield but a weapon as well.

'_Intellectuals'_ display their '_cachet_' by quoting authorities such as François Voltaire (Age of Enlightenment), Shakespeare, Sigmund Freud or maybe even Einstein, in casual conversation. Buck and his crew don't bother to make the attempt. They probably would get the quote wrong anyway. The only '_authorities'_ or references they feel comfortable with are perhaps those taken from their favorite movies or from strictly technical texts and publications. Okay, they are so far from being intellectuals that the word should not be used in the same sentence with them but don't tell them that. Their position is that intellectuals think they are the only ones who know anything and the only ones able (and entitled) to use such references. Buck and his crew know their limitations but don't allow those limitations to get into their way when opportunity knocks.

The idea that a high frequency sound emanating from a whistle will in any way affect the operation of a slot machine is, as far as the author is aware, pure nonsense. At least, I think it is. If however, anyone who reads this and tries it and it does work, should do the right thing and either give me a cut or tell me about it. My advice is to not try it because based upon what I have heard about the owners of casinos, their treatment of those who are stupid enough to try such a trick is pretty close to what is mentioned here if they catch you. And remember, the part about cameras being everywhere is true!

The underground vault is also a product of the author's imagination. There may be one but I don't know about it. The idea about the lattice work vault door is also fiction. The security provided by such a door, under the circumstances described, is probably no less than that which a massive solid door would allow but I made it up. And if there is such a vault, I don't know if it is above or below ground.

The lotto-type slot game is also fiction. There are some progressive slots that will pay out very high jackpots, even into the millions of dollars, but the ones described here are just a fabrication. The prize, the millions of dollars, serves only as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for the (I hope likable) thieves to chase.

Everything about computers, security programs and the like, are, as far as I am able to understand what my consultants told me, just as mentioned and described. Of course, I was dragged, screaming and kicking, into the computer age. I got through engineering school using a slide rule, but I date myself.

Just one other little thing: The idea that


End file.
